US announces allocation plan for tranche of 55 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, including 16 million to Asia

Washington: The United States on Monday announced its plans to allocate 55 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the rest of the world, including 16 million to Asian nations such as India and Bangladesh. With the previous allocation of 25 million, the Biden-Harris Administration has so far announced to distribute 80 million doses of America’s own vaccine supply which President Joe Biden had 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, President Biden has promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world. Part of that plan is donating vaccines from our domestic supply, and the President has pledged 80 million doses to be allocated by the end of June,” the White House said. Earlier this month, the administration announced the plan for the first 25 million doses that the US has already begun shipping. For these 80 million doses, the US will share 75 percent through COVAX and 25 percent 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,” the White House said. The Biden-Harris Administration will not use its vaccines to secure favours from other countries, it asserted. Of the 41 million to be shared through COVAX, 14 million will go to Latin America and the Caribbean nations and 16 million to Asia. Among the Asian countries include India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Pacific Islands. Another 10 million will be shared with African nations. The White House said approximately 14 million or 25 per cent of these 55 million vaccines will be shared with regional priorities and other recipients, such as: Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, other CARICOM countries, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Oman, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, and Bosnia. The White House said, in addition to sharing doses from its own vaccine supply, the Biden-Harris Administration is also committed to working with US manufacturers to produce more vaccines to share with the world. To that end, ahead of the G7, Biden announced that the US will purchase half a billion Pfizer doses and donate them to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and members of the African Union. In total, the G7+ agreed to provide an additional more than 1 billion doses starting summer 2021, it said. In addition, the US is committed to expanding local production of vaccines, and through our Quad partnership and the International Development Finance Corporation’s support for vaccine manufacturing, more than 1 billion doses will be produced in Africa and India in 2021 and 2022, the White House said. This vaccine strategy is a vital component of our overall global effort to lead the world in the fight to defeat COVID-19 and to achieve global health security, it said.