In April, the Biden-Harris administration promised 60 million AstraZeneca vaccines against Covid-19 to other nations. Now, on May 17, President Biden announced a donation of an additional 20 million. This is part of a US effort to end the global pandemic.
The additional vaccines, produced by American manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna Inc., and Johnson & Johnson, bring the total number of vaccines that the United States will donate to 80 million by the end of June. The delivery of AstraZeneca vaccines is pending authorization from US regulators.
“We need to help fight the disease around the world to keep ourselves safe at home and do the right thing by helping others,” Biden said directly from the White House.
The United States will provide the vaccines through the Global Access to Covid-19 Vaccines (Covax) to ensure they are distributed equitably. Covax is an international partnership aimed at distributing two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2021.
These 80 million vaccines are just part of a series of contributions from the US that include:
• A $2 billion contribution to Covax through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), an international partnership that supports immunizations worldwide.
• Plans to donate an additional $2 billion.
• Shipment of medical supplies and treatments to other countries, including India.
• A promise made in March of 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for Canada and Mexico.
The 80 million doses that the United States will contribute are five times more than any other country has shared so far.
Biden stated that the United States is ramping up efforts to produce and distribute vaccines for the world.
“Just as during World War II the US was the arsenal of democracy, in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, our nation will be the vaccine arsenal for the rest of the world,” Biden said.
Congress recently approved $11.5 billion in funding to help nations combat the pandemic, and the Biden administration is supporting negotiations aimed at waiving intellectual property rights to allow other countries to produce vaccines more quickly.
At the G7 meeting in the UK in June, Biden will announce further progress in US efforts with international partners to distribute vaccines.
Source: https://share.america.gov