US may donate 500mn doses in 2 yrs

WASHINGTON: The US will buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to share through the global COVAX alliance for donation to 92 lower income countries and the African Union over the next year, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement on Thursday in a speech before the start of Group of Seven (G7) summit. According to the person, 200 million doses — enough to fully protect 100 million people — would be shared this year, with the balance to be donated in the first half of 2022.

The person confirmed the announcement on the condition of anonymity. The news was first reported by the Washington Post, with the New York Times too reporting similar details.

The announcement comes days after the White House unveiled its plans to begin sharing the existing US vaccine surplus with the world.

While leaving for the UK on Wednesday, Biden indicated he had “a plan” to donate doses to countries where coverage has been low, saying: “I have one and I will be announcing it”.