President Biden will buy and donate half a billion Pfizer vaccines to give away to 92 low-income countries.
Today, President Joe Biden has announced that the United States will donate at least 80 million vaccines to 92 low-income countries by the end of June. With this donation, half a billion Pfizer vaccines will be bought and included in the contribution. The goal is to have 200 million doses delivered by the end of this year, and 500 million doses delivered by June 2022.
According to the WHO, “the biggest barrier in ending the pandemic is the lack of sharing resources.” To solve this problem, the president is implementing several solutions to break the barrier:
—Providing half a billion Pfizer vaccines to low-income nations: with the help of Gavi’s COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, and the African Union, America has been able to identify the countries in the most need of a vaccine. Half a billion Pfizer vaccines will now be donated to 92 of those countries.
—Giving low-income nations access to mRNA vaccines: by giving away donations of the vaccines that have saved the lives of many Americans, the Biden administration will be able to provide other countries the same support we have had during this time.
—Harnessing the power of US manufacturing: billions of Pfizer doses will be produced in the US and donated globally. The facilities that will be producing these vaccines are located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, McPherson, Kansas, Chesterfield, Missouri, and Andover, Massachusetts.
The announcement that America will be buying and donating vaccines to other countries in need is the first step to sharing the resources we have. President Biden has been clear that borders will not keep the pandemic away. For that reason, it is time we start sharing the vaccines we have readily available.