Health

United States to donate 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to world

By Salaam Times and AFP

US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on the COVID-19 pandemic on June 10 in Britain. The United States announced a historic donation of half a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for world's poorer countries. [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on the COVID-19 pandemic on June 10 in Britain. The United States announced a historic donation of half a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for world's poorer countries. [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

US President Joe Biden announced Thursday (June 10) a historic US donation of half a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for world's poorer countries.

"The United States will purchase a half a billion doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to donate to nearly 100 nations that are in dire need in the fight against this pandemic," Biden said while on a visit to the United Kingdom to attend the G7 summit. "That's a historic step. The largest single purchase and donation of COVID-19 vaccines by any single country ever."

The first 200 million doses are set to be delivered around the world by the end of this year, with vaccines starting to ship in August, while the remainder will be sent out by June 2022.

This will "help supercharge the global fight against the pandemic", the White House said.

The United States will purchase 500 million Pfizer jabs to send across the world to battle the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. [Justin Tallis/AFP]

The United States will purchase 500 million Pfizer jabs to send across the world to battle the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. [Justin Tallis/AFP]

"America knows firsthand the tragedies of this pandemic," Biden said. "We've had more people die in the United States than anywhere in the world: nearly 600,000 of our fellow Americans -- moms, dads, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents."

"But we also know the path to recovery," he added.

This new, huge surge in donations is meant "to save lives and end the pandemic", the White House said.

"The United States is using the power of our democracy, the ingenuity of American scientists, and the strength of American manufacturing to beat the pandemic globally by helping to vaccinate the world," the White House said.

The vaccines will be distributed through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) programme to "low and lower-middle income nations" and to the African Union.

The Gavi vaccine alliance lists Afghanistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Yemen among the 92 nations to receive the doses.

The announcement came on top of an earlier pledge to donate some 80 million doses by the end of June, as well as a $2 billion contribution to COVAX funding.

"President Biden has been clear that borders cannot keep this pandemic at bay and has vowed that our nation will be the arsenal of vaccines," the statement said.

G7 leaders who gathered Friday for their first in-person talks in nearly two years, are expected to pledge to donate an additional half a billion vaccine doses to poor countries.

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Days before, a friend of mine said that his sister and another member of his family have already received Chinese vaccines, but they still have suffered from Corona. He said his sister was badly suffering. I think the Afghan government should purchase vaccines from Germany and America that are free from forgery. The Chinese and Russian vaccines are not trustworthy. Most of the Chinese items are duplicated.

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As a human being, I appreciate and thank America and its people for its announcement of this generous assistance, showing sympathy with the humans. Based on some census, currently, 1.3 billion humans are living in the world's developed countries. In other words, we can say that these countries and people can buy vaccines for themselves because their economic condition is good. 3.6 billion people live in developing countries; however, this census is not precise. This way, the developed countries can buy vaccines for their 1.6 billion people; however, 2 billion remains. If it comes to the number of people, 0.3 billion of the 1.3 billion people of the developed world live in America, and they present 500 million vaccines to the world. As America's population makes ¼ of the developed world's population, and this ¼ part presented 500 million vaccines, the remaining ¾ each should also present 500 – 500 million vaccines, which will make a total of 2 billion vaccines which make one dose of vaccines for the remaining 2 billion people. At the same time, the issue still did not get solved because most of the vaccines have two doses and not one. I suggest that America may better double its number of vaccines and buy 1 billion, and the remaining developed countries buy the remaining 3 billion vaccines. Then, it will be possible for the residents of the world's developing countries to get two doses. Long live Afghanistan, long live the Afghan-American friendship. Death to ISI- Pakistan's

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