The United States will share up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses with other countries as they become available, White House senior COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on Monday, 26 April.
The officials announced the development on Twitter1.
Earlier on Monday, news agency The Associated Press had reported that the doses would be shared after a federal safety review in the coming weeks.
The Biden administration in March had said that it would send roughly 4 million of the drugmaker's vaccine to neighbouring Canada and Mexico, Reuters reported.
US ‘Looking for Options’ to Ship Vaccines to India
As per the White House, the US is also "looking at options" to ship millions of AstraZeneca vaccines to India but that can happen only after it clears federal safety review. This process could take a few "weeks".
Approximately 10 million doses "could be released if and when FDA gets gives us concurrence, which could happen in the coming weeks", a senior Biden administration official told reporters at a briefing, IANS reported.
The Pentagon is also working on delivering essential medical supplies, including oxygen-related equipment, rapid testing kits, and personal protective gear, to India in the next few days, an official said, PTI reported.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on Monday, "We'll also provide transportation and logistics assistance to deliver these needed supplies as quickly as possible," adding, “We are determined to help the people of India as they bravely combat this outbreak.”
Kirby also added that the US agency is in close communication with the central government to ensure maximum support to India's frontline healthcare workers.
Of the 60 million AstraZeneca to be sent out internationally, an estimated additional 50 million doses are in various stages of production, the White House confirmed, IANS reported.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet been authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration.
(With inputs from Reuters, PTI and IANS)
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