Argentina, Colombia to receive 'priority' Covid-19 vaccine assistance, White House says
Approximately 14 million more vaccines will be provided to Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a 55 million dose allocation plan announced by the Biden administration on Monday.
Earlier this month, the administration announced a separate plan for the first 25 million of 80 million doses pledged to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic abroad.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, the White House said that of the remaining 55 million doses, 14 million have been allocated to Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay.
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These doses will be shared through COVAX. Another 16 million doses has been allocated to Asia, while 10 million will be sent to Africa.
The Biden administration has also announced plans to work with US manufacturers to produce more vaccines to share with countries around the world.
Ahead of the G7, for example, Biden announced plans to purchase more than half a billion Pfizer doses and donate them to low-and middle-income countries.
"For these 80 million doses, the U.S. will share 75% through COVAX and 25% will be targeted to help deal with surges around the world," the White House statement said.
"Our goals are to increase global COVID-19 vaccination coverage, prepare for surges and prioritize healthcare workers and other vulnerable populations based on public health data and acknowledged best practice, and help our neighbors and other countries in need," the statement added. "And, as we have previously stated, the United States will not use its vaccines to secure favors from other countries."
The statement, however, provided no further detail as to exactly how many vaccines each country will receive, nor when.
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"Just like we have in our domestic response, we will move as expeditiously as possible, while abiding by US and host country regulatory and legal requirements, to facilitate the safe and secure transport of vaccines across international borders," the White House statement added. "This will take time, but the President has directed the Administration to use all the levers of the U.S. government to protect individuals from this virus as quickly as possible."
"The specific vaccines and amounts will be determined and shared as the administration works through the logistical, regulatory and other parameters particular to each region and country," the statement said.