Bangladesh and other South and Southeast Asian countries will get 7.0 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this month from the United States.
The White House on Thursday announced its framework for sharing at least 25.0 million COVID-19 vaccine doses globally. The dose shipments are the first tranche of some 80 million vaccine doses that US President Joe Biden has pledged to provide internationally this month.
According to the plan, the United States will donate nearly 19.0 million doses through the COVAX international vaccine-sharing programmme, according to Reuters and a White House statement.
“Through COVAX, some 6 million doses would go to Latin America and the Caribbean, about 7.0 million doses to South and Southeast Asia and roughly 5.0 million to Africa,” Biden said in a statement.
The White House said that Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands will get approximately 7.0 million vaccine doses.
The remaining 6.0 million doses, out of 25.0 million, would go directly from the United States to countries including Canada, Mexico, India and South Korea, he said.
President Joe Biden said the United States would give the vaccines without expectation of political favours in return as concern grows about the huge disparity in vaccination rates between advanced economies and developing countries.
"We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values," Biden said.
The 25 million doses would be delivered quickly, with some going out as soon as Thursday, the White House said.
For months, the White House remained focused on getting Americans vaccinated as the coronavirus killed more than half a million people in the United States. But Biden promised the United States would become a supplier and send abroad at least 20 million doses of the Pfizer Inc, Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, on top of some 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to donate.
The 25.0 million doses Biden announced on Thursday will not include supply from AstraZeneca, the White House said.
