• Thursday, April 25, 2024
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U.S. to send 20m doses of coronavirus vaccines abroad


Covid vaccine

US President Joe Biden will send at least 20 million doses of U.S.-approved coronavirus vaccines abroad by the end of June.

The announcement, which the president will make Monday afternoon, marks the first time the United States is sharing vaccines that are authorized for domestic use.

The shipments will include doses from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Biden will also announce that Jeff Zients, the coronavirus coordinator, will lead the effort to share vaccines globally.

Zients will work in coordination with the National Security Council and other agency partners, including Gayle Smith, who is coordinating global diplomatic outreach at the State Department.

The 20 million doses follows an earlier commitment by Biden to share up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine overseas.

The U.S. has not authorized the vaccine for domestic use, and the doses are currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration.

They are expected to be sent out in the next six weeks.

In recent weeks, Biden has been pressed to share more vaccines with the world and to develop a strategy to better distribute them as supply in the U.S. quickly outstrips demand.