US to share up to 60 million AstraZeneca vaccine shots for global Covid-19 fight
- US domestic supply appears assured, making it unlikely AstraZeneca will be required
- Critics have accused Washington of hoarding the British-developed vaccine
The move greatly expands on the Biden administration’s action last month to share about 4 million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and Canada. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but not yet authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The White House is increasingly assured about the supply of the three vaccines being administered in the US, particularly following the restart of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot over the weekend.
The US has come under fire for hoarding supplies including of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as other countries such as India battle sprawling outbreaks.
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“Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the US already has and that have been authorised by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorised for use in the US, we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months,” said White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients.