The United States, through COVAX and other partnerships, has now shared more than half a billion safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses to save lives around the world.
The 500 million vaccine doses, delivered to more than 110 countries in every region of the world free of charge, are part of President Biden’s pledge for the United States to serve as an “arsenal of vaccines” for the world by donating 1.2 billion doses to other countries. COVAX is the global initiative to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said March 17 that U.S. vaccine donations are part of broader efforts with international partners to save lives and end the pandemic.
“We continue to work tirelessly with governments and international organizations, vaccine producers, NGOs, the private sector, and others to deliver vaccines,” Blinken said, announcing the milestone of 500 million doses shipped.
The United States also works to expand global vaccine manufacturing and distribution to ensure vaccine doses get to where they are needed. To improve vaccine access, the United States has donated nearly $20 billion in health, humanitarian, economic and development assistance to over 120 countries since the pandemic began.
Here are some ways U.S. support is increasing COVID-19 vaccinations:
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- Paraguay’s government administered 500,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses within a week, after receiving a U.S. donation of 2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
- Zambia administered nearly 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses through more than 500 health facilities with support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
- The United States, in partnership with the African Union, France and Germany, contributed to a 600 million euro investment in South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical company, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, to produce COVID-19 vaccines in Africa.
- Through their Quad partnership, Australia, India, Japan and the United States are funding COVID-19 vaccine production in India to support vaccinations, including in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Through the American Rescue Plan Act, the U.S. donated $580 million to U.N. organizations to support their COVID-19 response efforts, including COVID-19 vaccine delivery, public health programs and economic recovery from the pandemic.
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“This work is critical because this pandemic is not over,” Blinken said March 17, noting that omicron and potential new variants continue to pose risks to people around the world. “The United States will continue to work with partners and communities at every level to save lives and better prepare for future pandemics.”