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 The plan fulfills President Joe Biden's commitment to share 80
million U.S.-made vaccines with countries around the world. The
president sketched out his priorities for the first 25 million doses
from that pledge earlier this month.
The United States has come under pressure to share more of its
vaccine supply with countries that are still struggling with the
deadly virus and its variants. With more and more Americans getting
the shots, the White House increasingly has turned its attention to
getting vaccine out internationally. (Graphic on global
vaccinations) https://tmsnrt.rs/3tUM8ta
Of the 55 million remaining doses, some 41 million will be shared
through COVAX, the White House said, with approximately 14 million
going to Latin America and the Caribbean, some 16 million to Asia,
and roughly 10 million to Africa.
The other 25%, or roughly 14 million doses, will be shared with
"regional priorities," including Colombia, Argentina, Iraq, Ukraine,
the West Bank and Gaza.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States had faced
logistical issues getting vaccine to other nations.
"We have plenty of doses to share with the world, but this is a
Herculean logistical challenge," she told reporters, noting safety
and regulatory information had to be shared, proper storage
temperatures for the vaccines had to be ensured, and language
barriers at times had to be overcome.
"We have announced today where these doses are going. We will
continue to announce as they land on the ground and as they are
being shipped, and we're looking forward to doing that as quickly as
possible," she said.
The 55 million doses will be taken from the U.S. supply of Pfizer
Inc, Moderna Inc, and Johnson & Johnson shots, though if
AstraZeneca's vaccine gets a green light from the Food and Drug
Administration, it would likely be added to the mix as well.
The White House said it wanted the doses to be prioritized for
health care workers and those who are most at risk.
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International partners are eager to get U.S. help. Biden has
announced the United States will buy 500 million doses of Pfizer's
vaccine and donate them to the world's poorest countries.
The White House's breakdown of its allocation of the 55 million
vaccine doses is below.
THROUGH COVAX:
* Latin America and the Caribbean (approximately 14 million shots):
Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia,
Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, and other
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, Dominican Republic, Panama,
and Costa Rica * Asia (approximately 16 million
shots): India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan,
Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand,
Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Pacific
Islands.
* Africa (approximately 10 million shots): Recipient countries will
be selected in coordination with the African Union.
THROUGH DIRECT SHARING: 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.
(Reporting by Jeff MasonAdditional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and
Nandita BoseEditing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker)
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