US To Donate 500 Million COVID-19 Vaccines To Dozens Of Low-Income Countries - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th June, 2021) The United States will donate half a billion Pfizer vaccines against the coronavirus to more than 90 lower income countries that are expected to get their first shipments in August, the White House said on Thursday.

"Today, President [Joe] Biden will announce that the U.S. government will purchase half a billion doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines and donate to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and economies as defined by Gavi's COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) and the African Union," the Thursday statement says.

The shipments of the Pfizer vaccines that will be produced at US facilities, will begin in August 2021, according to the White House.

"200 million doses will be delivered by the end of this year and the remaining 300 million will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

The U.S. will allocate these doses to low and lower-middle income nations around the world, working through COVAX to deliver them," the White House said.

Washington says this will be the largest-ever purchase and donation of coronavirus vaccines by a single country so far.

Earlier this month, Biden announced the intention to share 80 million doses of American coronavirus vaccines globally by the end of June. On Wednesday, the US President told reporters that he planned to announce his global vaccine strategy while being in Europe next week.

Last week, US Vice President Kamala Harris notified the heads of Mexico, Guatemala, India and countries of the Caribbean Community of US plans to distribute 25 million doses of coronavirus vaccines.