The United States has agreed to share up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries in the coming months.
Last September, AstraZeneca agreed to put forth its “best reasonable efforts” to deliver 180 million doses to the EU during the second quarter of 2021. However, the firm has so far only delivered 31 million doses. AstraZeneca said earlier this year that low yields at EU production plants were causing delivery delays.
Now, the White House has announced that it will send doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries that need it.
“We do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against covid,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday. “Over the next few months, before any AstraZeneca doses are shipped from the United States, the FDA will confirm any such doses meet its expectations for product quality. This is being done in the context of the ongoing review of all doses made at the plant where these AstraZeneca doses were produced.”
Recent data has suggested that the vast majority of the people who were most eager to get vaccinated already have been. Health officials are now focused on encouraging vaccinations among those who are open to getting inoculated but haven’t yet taken that step. However, they’re also pushing to vaccinate the global population.
Once AstraZeneca’s vaccine clears federal safety reviews, the U.S. will begin sharing its entire stock of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world.