US donates 55m doses of COVID-19 vaccine globally, Africa gets 10m
The United States, on Monday, announced plans to allocate 55 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world, noting that 10 million doses would be shared to Africa countries.
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President Joe Biden disclosed this, sayingin a statement that the doses were the remaining part of the 80 million he pledged to allocate by the end of June.
“Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the distribution list for 55 million of the 80 million doses of America’s own vaccine supply Biden has pledged to allocate by the end of June in service of ending the pandemic globally.
“As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at home and work to end the pandemic worldwide, Biden has promised that the U.S. will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world.
“Earlier this month, the Administration announced the plan for the first 25 million doses that we have begun shipping, and today’s announcement completes the list for the remaining 55 million doses.
“For all of these doses, those most at risk, such as health care workers, should be prioritised based on national vaccine plans,” said the statement.
Biden announced that the U.S. would purchase half a billion Pfizer doses and donate them to 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries and members of the African Union.
“For these 80 million doses, the U.S. will share 75 per cent through COVAX and 25 per cent will be targeted to help deal with surges around the world.
“Our goals are to increase global COVID-19 vaccination coverage, prepare for surges and prioritise healthcare workers and other vulnerable populations based on public health data and acknowledged best practice, and help our neighbours and other countries in need,” continued the statement.
It noted that the U.S. would not use its vaccines to secure favours from other countries.
MTO/Vanguard
