More than 110M COVID vaccines sent to 60 countries, US says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has donated and shipped much than 110 cardinal doses of COVID-19 vaccines to much than 60 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia, the White House announced Tuesday.

President Joe Biden was expected to sermon that milestone and much aboriginal Tuesday successful remarks updating the nationalist connected the U.S. strategy to dilatory the dispersed of coronavirus abroad.

The announcement comes amid a emergence successful infections successful the U.S., fueled by the highly contagious delta strain of the virus, which led U.S. nationalist wellness officials past week to urge that radical who person been afloat vaccinated against COVID-19 resume wearing look coverings successful nationalist indoor settings.

Biden has promised that the U.S. volition beryllium the “arsenal of vaccines” for the world, and it has shipped the astir vaccines overseas of immoderate donor nation.

But portion notable, the 110 cardinal doses the U.S. has donated mostly done a planetary vaccine programme known arsenic COVAX correspond a fraction of what is needed worldwide.

The White House said successful a connection Tuesday that U.S. astatine the extremity of August volition statesman shipping 500,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine that it has pledged to 100 low-income countries by June 2022.

The 110 cardinal donated doses came from U.S. surplus vaccine banal arsenic the gait of home vaccinations slowed amid wide vaccine hesitancy successful the country.

Roughly 90 cardinal eligible Americans aged 12 and implicit person yet to person 1 dose of vaccine.

Biden had pledged to vessel much than 80 cardinal doses overseas by the extremity of June, but had lone been capable to stock a fraction of that owed to logistical and regulatory hurdles successful recipient countries.

The gait of shipments picked up importantly done July.

Under Biden’s sharing plan, astir 75% of U.S. doses are shared done COVAX, which aims to assistance lower- and middle-income nations, with the equilibrium being sent to U.S. partners and allies.

The White House insists that thing is being sought successful instrumentality for the shots, contrasting its attack to Russia and China, which it alleges person utilized entree to their domestically produced vaccines arsenic a instrumentality of geopolitical leverage.