G7 countries expected to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses worldwide

On the eve of the Group of Seven summit in England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday night announced that the G7 nations are expected to pledge at least 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to distribute globally.

Earlier, President Biden said that on Friday, the G7 countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Italy — will share more details on their vaccine donation commitments. The U.S. will donate 500 million doses on top of 80 million doses already pledged, Biden said, adding, "We're going to help lead the world out of this pandemic working alongside our global partners."

The U.S. doses will be manufactured by Pfizer, and will be distributed beginning in August through the COVAX alliance to 92 lower-income countries and the African Union, The Associated Press reports. "Our vaccine donations don't include pressure for favors or potential concessions," Biden said. "We're doing this to save lives, to end this pandemic, that's it. Our values call on us to do everything that we can to vaccinate the world against COVID-19."

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The United Kingdom is committed to delivering 100 million vaccine doses, AP says, with the first 5 million going out in the next few weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said his country will share at least 30 million doses by the end of the year, and he believes "the European Union needs to have at least the same level of ambition as the United States. It's almost more important to say how many [doses] we deliver the next month than making promises to be fulfilled in 18 months from now."