A big donation
The White House will likely miss its deadline to send 80 million vaccine doses abroad by the end of June
President Biden will likely miss his deadline to donate 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines abroad, Bloomberg and The Associated Press report.
The administration now appears to be pledging to merely "allocate," not "send" the doses by the end of June — Biden's initial deadline — suggesting shipments could "stretch into July or beyond," reports Bloomberg. As it stands, "fewer than 10 million doses have been shipped," AP writes. On Monday, the White House unveiled the recipients of the remaining 55 million shots, after having previously detailed that of the first 25 million.
The administration had recently said it expected 60 million of the 80 million doses to be AstraZeneca, but the Food and Drug Administration's ongoing review of the vaccine has thrown a wrench in the plan, Bloomberg reports. Press Secretary Jen Psaki also cited logistical issues, like ensuring swift customs clearance or that countries have sufficient vaccine administration supplies, as additional hurdles.
Shipments will begin once countries are "ready to receive the doses," and the White House has "worked through the complex logistics," Bloomberg writes.
Of the 55 million doses allocated on Monday, approximately 41 million will go to Covax, the global vaccine-sharing alliance, for distribution in countries across Latin America, Asia and Africa. The remaining 14 million "will be shipped bilaterally, including to some of the same countries," as well as to Ukraine, South Africa, Iraq, and the West Bank, among others.
Read more at Bloomberg.