Biden commits to boost world vaccine chain; to share 80MN US vaccine doses with other countries

World

As the world battles the ravaging Covid tsunami, US President Joe Biden on Monday announced that the the United States will share 80 million vaccine doses globally over the next six weeks, five times more than any other country has shared to date which represents 13 percent of vaccines produced in the country by June end. This moves come when countries across the world including India, Japan Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Cambodia are recording huge spike in cases. The grim realities of acute vaccine shortage and collapsing healthcare infrastructure have left the world in shock.

Biden during his address asserted that this additional step is being taken to to help the world. The 80 million doses will include 20 million doses of the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well as AstraZeneca. According to media sources, the US already announced it would share 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries by July 4. The President said that the US would distribute all of its AstraZeneca vaccine produced in the country once authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration.

This latest announcement will make the US a leader in sharing vaccine supplies, outpacing both China and Russia. Biden pledged that the US will become an “arsenal” of global vaccine supply. The President also maintained that the US would not use their vaccines to secure favors from other countries but only with the sole interest of helping end the pandemic.

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New variants rise overseas have put the world at greater risk and in order to help fight the disease worldwide health experts have suggested vaccination as the most pertinent step ahead.