Biden Releases Plan to Send COVID Vaccines Abroad
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The Biden administration has released a preliminary COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, which includes shipping doses to Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and prioritizing both allies and countries facing surges, the White House announced Thursday.
“Our goal in sharing our vaccines is in service of ending the pandemic globally,” Jake Sullivan, U.S. national security adviser, said during a news briefing Thursday. “We want to save lives and thwart variants that place us all at risk. But perhaps most important, this is just the right thing to do.”
He added, “Thanks to the ingenuity of American scientists and the resilience and commitment to the American people, we’re in the position to help others. So we will help others.”
President Joe Biden has pledged to donate 80 million doses by the end of this month. Of the first 25 million, which will be shipped in the coming weeks, about 19 million will go to COVAX, a program that helps get vaccines to vulnerable countries. Six million will be sent to South and Central America, 7 million will go to Asia, and 5 million are earmarked for Africa, according to a White House statement.
“We’ve received requests from all over the world, and a number of important factors went into our decision about how to allocate these first 25 million vaccines,” Sullivan said. “These factors included achieving global coverage, responding to surges and other specific urgent situations and public health needs, and helping as many countries as possible who’ve requested vaccines.”
The remaining 6 million will go to some combination of U.S. allies and neighbors — along with countries seeing surges — including Mexico, Canada, India, Colombia, Guatemala, and South Korea, where the U.S. military shares command.
Recipients will also include Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq, according to the White House.
The 80 million doses set for distribution are U.S.-approved vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
Another 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be exported once the FDA has given the green light.
The U.S. continues to ramp up vaccination efforts — 297 million doses have been given so far, with a recent daily average of 1.1 million doses.
Sources:
News briefing, White House COVID-19 Response Task Force, June 3, 2021.
Statement, White House June 3, 2021.
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