U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to invoke the Defense Production Act to boost vaccine production to meet demand.

A member of the COVID-19 task force said Monday Biden would act immediately when he takes over next month.

Under the wartime production law, the government can compel manufacturers to prioritize production of certain medicines and equipment for national security purposes.

"You will see him invoking the Defense Production Act...The idea there is to make sure the personal protective equipment, the test capacity and the raw materials for vaccines are produced in adequate supply," COVID-19 Advisory Board member Dr. Celine Gounder said in an interview.

Pfizer, which recently got approval for the emergency use of its vaccine, reportedly asked the Trump administration for help in obtaining supplies to accelerate production. The company reportedly had yet to get a response.

Last week, the pharmaceutical company said it had struck a deal with the government to supply an additional 100 million doses. The company said it should be able to deliver the additional doses by July.

The Department of Health and Human Services said that Trump had already invoked the Defense Production Act more than a dozen times to bolster the country's vaccine production.

The Trump administration had enhanced production lines, forced companies to obtain specialty tools and raw materials and enhance production of essential supplies - including syringes, glass vials and protective equipment.

Under Operation Warp Speed the U.S. government made significant investments in six companies - including Pfizer and Moderna. So far, their vaccines only have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

As of this week, fewer than 2 million people have been vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure is lower than Trump's goal of more than 20 million people before the end of the year. Assistant secretary of health Brett Giroir said there were delays between vaccinations and the centers' data and the number vaccinated could be higher.