25 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be sent across the globe in the beginning stages of President Biden’s pledge to distribute 80 million overseas by the end of June.
What We Know:
- Vaccines will be distributed through the U.N.-backed COVAX program. First priority is going to Latin America, the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. Doses will also be delivered to India, Gaza, Mexico, and Canada in this preliminary shipment. This marks a substantial increase to the COVAX effort which has only garnered 76 million doses to date.
- Biden’s announcement follows the plea of World Health Organization officials in Africa for support as shipments have come to a halt while cases have spiked in the past two weeks. Biden said in a statement, “As long as this pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, the American people will still be vulnerable.”
- In total, the Biden administration hopes to distribute 80 million vaccines worldwide. A quarter of the country’s excess will be kept in reserve for emergency and to share with US allies. While COVAX is handling the transportation of the doses, the United States has the ultimate say over where they are distributed.
- Previously, the United States has contributed over $4 billion to COVAX. But, as vaccine supply has shortened and wealthy countries have begun to safeguard their supply, the greater need is now access to doses. Tom Hart, CEO of The One Campaign, testified, “Less than 1% of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to people in low-income countries.”
The Biden administration’s pledge also comes as an attempt to exert global leadership, something global health organizations have been in dire need of for months. Currently, more than 63% of adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the US. Hart argued that while this is a welcome effort “more ambition is needed” to see success.
