More than 120 million doses were donated from surplus U.S. shots. The first deliveries of 1 billion doses that the Biden administration purchased from Pfizer to be given overseas by September 2022 also included the initial deliveries. The United States is still the world’s largest vaccine donor, with more than 100 countries and territories receiving the American doses.
Samantha Power, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator, stated that “These 200 million COVID-19 vaccinations have helped bring hope and health to millions of people. But our work is far from done.” We must do more to prevent the spread of new variants and to end the pandemic.
Aid groups have praised the U.S. as the leader in vaccine donations worldwide, but they have also criticised the U.S.’s approval of booster doses to be used in the country when many people living in low-income countries have no protection. After last month’s approval of a third dose for Pfizer, Wednesday’s booster doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Tom Hart, the acting CEO of One Campaign, stated that “the reality is, we’ll be closer to ending the pandemic if more rich countries use booster shots.” While some may argue that boosters can be administered simultaneously with vaccinations, the truth is that boosters divert supplies from an immediate area of need — first shots around the globe.
Half of the world has been vaccinated. However, there are huge wealth and geographic disparities. Most global shots were administered in countries with high or moderate income.
