Biden said Monday he’ll export 20 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. or Johnson & Johnson, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to give to other countries. The AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S.
“It’s the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do, it’s the strong thing to do,” Biden said. By the end of June, he said, the U.S. will have taken delivery of enough doses of the authorized vaccines to inoculate its entire population age 12 and older.
“The United states will share at least 20 million of those doses, the extra supply, with other countries,” he said.
“We will not use our vaccines to secure favors from other countries,” he said, a veiled shot at countries like China and Russia that have been accused of tying vaccine exports to diplomatic objectives.
Biden stressed that the measures are only a first step as the U.S. pivots its attention to quelling the pandemic abroad, and repeated a pledge that the U.S. would soon become an “arsenal” of global vaccine supply.
Biden also said that he is putting Jeff Zients, who has served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator, in charge of his effort to beat back the pandemic globally. Zients will work with the National Security Council and other agencies to steer doses abroad.
The president is able to turn more attention to the pandemic overseas thanks to progress combating it at home. The U.S. recorded the fewest number of new cases since March 2020 on Sunday and most of the country has begun to relax masking and social distancing requirements.
But Biden cautioned Americans to remain vigilant and get their shots.
“We’re still losing too many Americans and we still have too many unvaccinated people in America,” Biden said.
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