US marks 200 million Covid-19 shots shared with world
- More than 100 countries and territories have received US-donated Covid-19 doses
- China aims to donate 100 million doses to developing countries by end of the year
The United States on Thursday donated its 200 millionth Covid-19 shot to help vaccinate the rest of the world, the White House announced. The Biden administration aims to lead a global vaccination campaign even as it rolls out boosters for domestic use, which critics say diverts doses from those who are in greater need around the world.
The donated doses include more than 120 million in surplus from the US stockpile of shots, as well as the initial deliveries of the 1 billion doses the Biden administration has purchased from Pfizer for overseas donation by September 2022. More than 100 countries and territories have received the American doses, and the US remains the largest vaccine donor in the world.
China is the largest vaccine supplier to the developing world. By October 18, it had sold 1.3 billion doses, according to the Bridge Consulting tracker of Chinese vaccine distribution. But the number of donations remains small in proportion to its sales: only an estimated 81 million doses were donated either bilaterally or to the Covax Facility, according to Bridge Consulting.
While aid groups have praised the US for leading the world in vaccine donations, they have criticised the US for approving booster doses for use in the country while many people in lower-income nations have no protection at all.