HomeHealthcare NewsUS to swiftly boost global vaccine sharing, donate first tranche of 25million doses: Biden

US to swiftly boost global vaccine sharing, donate first tranche of 25million doses: Biden

The White House had announced plans to share 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses globally by end of June, mainly through COVAX. Yesterday, President Biden said the US would swiftly donate the first tranche of 25 million doses.

Profile image

By AP June 4, 2021, 9:19:02 AM IST (Updated)

US to swiftly boost global vaccine sharing, donate first tranche of 25million doses: Biden
President Joe Biden announced Thursday the US will swiftly donate the first tranche of 25 million doses of surplus vaccine overseas through the U.N.-backed COVAX program, promising infusions for South and Central America, Asia, Africa, and others at a time of glaring shortages abroad and more than ample supplies at home. The doses mark a substantial and immediate boost to the lagging COVAX effort, which to date has shared just 76 million doses with needy countries.


The announcement came just hours after World Health Organization officials in Africa made a new plea for vaccine sharing because of an alarming situation on the continent, where shipments have ground to a near halt while virus cases have spiked over the past two weeks.

Overall, the White House has announced plans to share 80 million doses globally by the end of June, most through COVAX. Officials say a quarter of the nations excess will be kept in reserve for emergencies and for the US to share directly with allies and partners.

Of the first 19 million donated through COVAX, approximately 6 million doses will go to South and Central America, 7 million to Asia, and 5 million to Africa.

As long as this pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, the American people will still be vulnerable, Biden said in a statement. And the United States is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US will retain the say on where doses distributed through COVAX ultimately go.

But he also said, Were not seeking to extract concessions, were not extorting, were not imposing conditions the way that other countries who are providing doses are doing. … These are doses that are being given, donated free and clear to these countries, for the sole purpose of improving the public health situation and helping end the pandemic.

The remaining 6 million in the initial distribution of 25 million will be directed by the White House to US allies and partners, including Mexico, Canada, South Korea, West Bank, and Gaza, India, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as for United Nations frontline workers.

Vice President Kamala Harris informed some US partners they will begin receiving doses, in separate calls with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago. Harris is to visit Guatemala and Mexico in the coming week.

The long-awaited vaccine sharing plan comes as demand for shots in the US has dropped significantly more than 63 percent of adults have received at least one dose and as global inequities in supply have become more pronounced.

Scores of countries have requested doses from the United States, but to date only Mexico and Canada have received a combined 4.5 million doses. The US also has announced plans to share enough shots with South Korea to vaccinate its 550,000 troops who serve alongside American service members on the peninsula. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said that 1 million Johnson & Johnson doses were being shipped to South Korea Thursday.

The U.S. action means frontline workers and at-risk populations will receive potentially life-saving vaccinations and bring the world ”a step closer to ending the acute phase of the pandemic, said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, which is leading the COVAX alliance.

However, Tom Hart the acting CEO of The ONE Campaign, said that while Thursday’s announcement was a welcome step, the Biden administration needs to commit to sharing more doses.

The world is looking to the US for global leadership, and more ambition is needed,” he said.

Biden has committed to providing other nations with all 60 million US-produced doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine., which has yet to be authorized for use in America but is widely approved around the world. The US-produced doses have been held up for export by an ongoing safety review by the Food and Drug Administration, said Zients.

The White House says the initial 25 million doses announced Thursday will be shipped from existing federal stockpiles of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. More doses are expected to be made available to share in the months ahead.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said via Twitter that Harris had informed him before the White House announcement of the decision to send 1 million doses of the single jab Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I expressed to her our appreciation in the name of the people of Mexico, he wrote.

Guatemala's Giammattei said Harris told him the US government would send his country 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As part of its purchase agreements with drug manufacturers, the US-controlled the initial production by its domestic manufacturers. Pfizer and Moderna are only now starting to export vaccines produced in the U.S. to overseas customers. The US has hundreds of millions of more doses on order, both of authorized and in-development vaccines.
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!