Coronavirus: Joe Biden to send AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada and Mexico
- Details are being worked out for a ‘loan’ of 2.5 million doses to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada
- The US has stockpiled tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca jab, drawing criticism from allies
The US is planning to send a combined 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Canada and Mexico in its first export of shots, the White House said on Thursday.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is in the process of finalising efforts to distribute 2.5 million doses to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada as a “loan.” The details are still being worked out.
“Our first priority remains vaccinating the US population,” Psaki said at the daily briefing. But she added that “ensuring our neighbours can contain the virus is a mission critical step, is mission critical to ending the pandemic”.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has not been authorised for use in the US but has been by the World Health Organization. Tens of millions of doses have been stockpiled in the US should it receive emergency use authorisation, sparking an international outcry that life-saving doses were being withheld when they could be used elsewhere.
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Psaki said multiple nations have requested access to the US vaccines, but she did not have anything to add on further distributions.