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Where the doses are going: Most will be sent to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. Similar to the previously announced donation, about three-quarters of the doses are directed to COVAX, the global vaccine equity effort, and the administration sends the rest to selected countries.
Of those going through COVAX, 14 million rounds will be directed to Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti, as well as the Dominican Republic, Panama and Costa Rica. About 16 million will go to Asian countries, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Maldives, Taiwan and Cambodia. Another 10 million will be shared with Africa in coordination with the African Union.
The United States is sending 14 million doses to countries the White House has called “regional priorities,” including Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, Afghanistan, South Africa, Nigeria, the West Bank, Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia.
The Biden administration did not say when the shipment of doses would begin. Of the 25 million doses previously announced for donation nearly three weeks ago, about 5 million were shipped to Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan.
The administration official said the United States still plans to send AstraZeneca vaccines abroad once they are approved.
Why it matters: The United States has ramped up its vaccine engagement with the rest of the world, as many poor countries battle new waves of the coronavirus, some of which are caused by the highly contagious delta type first identified in India. President Joe Biden has promised the United States will be the world’s vaccine arsenal to help end the pandemic, despite pressure from poor nations on the United States and other rich nations to do more as they struggle to secure vaccines.
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