Cornwall, United Kingdom – President Biden on Thursday announced that the United States will purchase half a billion doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer coronavirus vaccine which will be donated to 100 low- and lower-middle-income countries, “that are in dire need in the fight against this pandemic.”
Biden made the remarks after his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of the G7 Summit in Cornwall.
Biden said that two hundred million of these doses will be delivered starting in August this year, and 300 million more will be delivered in the first half of 2022. This is in addition to the 80 million excess doses of COVID-19 vaccines that are to be distributed by the end of June.
“Let me be clear: Just as with the 80 million doses we previously announced, the United States is providing these half million [billion] doses with no strings attached,” added Biden.
“We have supported manufacturing efforts abroad through our partnerships with Japan, India, and Australia — known as the “Quad.” We’ve shared doses with our neighbors Canada and Mexico,” said Biden.
“And from the beginning of my presidency, we have been clear-eyed that we need to attack this virus globally as well. This is about our responsibility — our humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can — and our responsibility to our values.”
Biden emphasized the United States commitment to strengthen global health , adding that “in this moment, our values call on us to do everything that we can to vaccinate the world against COVID-19.”
Commenting that the US is not alone in this effort, Biden said that under the UK chairmanship, G7 democracies of the world are ready to deliver as well. There will be an announcement tomorrow by the G7 nations on the COVID-19 vaccination program and the effort to defeat COVID-19 globally.
