US details plan to donate 80 million surplus COVID-19 vaccines globally
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The United States on Thursday announced details of a plan to donate 80 million surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to other countries by the end of June, with 25 million doses being shipped out immediately.
The U.S. has administered more COVID-19 vaccine doses than any other country — nearly 297 million as of June 2, according to the CDC. As the U.S. closes in on President Biden’s goal of having 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, officials are confident in the country’s own supply of vaccines, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said in a press briefing.
“We will continue to donate additional doses across the summer months as supply becomes available,” Zients said. “But at the same time, we know that won't be sufficient. So, the second part of our approach is working with U.S. vaccine manufacturers to vastly increase vaccine supply for the rest of the world in a way that also creates jobs here at home.”
The donated vaccines will make up just 13% of the total vaccines produced by the U.S. in the month of June alone, Zients said.
According to the plan, 75% of the initial 25 million doses will be donated through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative led by WHO. This includes approximately 6 million doses for Latin America and the Caribbean, 7 million doses for South and Southeast Asia, and 5 million doses for Africa, the White House said. The remaining 25% of doses — just over 6 million — will be sent directly to countries experiencing surges, including Canada, Mexico, India and South Korea.
According to national security advisor Jake Sullivan, the plan recognizes the U.S.’s closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and “friends” such as South Korea, where many U.S. military personnel are currently stationed and sharing command.
One million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine were being loaded into a plane in California that was scheduled to take off for South Korea Thursday evening, Zients said.
The U.S. and other countries with large vaccine stockpiles have been criticized for not being quick enough to share doses with other countries in need.
On Thursday, Doctors Without Borders called the new U.S. distribution plan “a move in a positive direction," but said “the pace and scale of the U.S. COVID-19 global vaccine response is woefully inadequate given the global emergency and race against emerging variants."
“While people in the U . S . are returning to a sense of normalcy as vaccination rates climb, people across the globe continue to live in constant fear as they’re caught in second and third waves without protection,” Carrie Teicher, MD, MPH, director of programs for Doctors Without Borders , said in a statement.
Sullivan said the U.S. is committed to sharing COVID-19 vaccines on an ongoing basis, following the distribution of the 80 million doses.
“We know that this won't be enough to end or reduce the life span of the pandemic, and that's why we're working with allies and partners to expand the production of vaccines and raw materials, including here at home,” Sullivan said.
References:
Doctors Without Borders. MSF: US global COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan is not enough. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-stories/news/msf-us-global-covid-19-vaccine-distribution-plan-not-enough. Accessed June 3, 2021.
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