From News Nation:
“US marks 200M COVID-19 shots
shared with world”
The U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. remains the
largest vaccine donor in the world. “These 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses
have helped bring health and hope to millions of people, but our work is far
from over,” U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha
Power said in a statement. “To end the pandemic, and prevent the emergence of
new variants, as well as future outbreaks within our nation’s borders, we must
continue to do our part to help vaccinate the world.”
While aid groups have praised the
U.S. for leading the world in vaccine donations, they have criticized the U.S.
for approving booster doses for use in the country while many people in
lower-income nations have no protection at all. The Food and Drug
Administration approved booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson
vaccines Wednesday, following last month’s authorization of a third dose of the
Pfizer shot. “The reality is, the more wealthy countries use booster shots, the
further we will be from ending the pandemic,” said Tom Hart, acting CEO of the
One Campaign. “While some argue that we can both administer boosters and
vaccinate the world, the simple fact is that boosters divert supply from an
urgent area of need — administering first shots around the world.” While half
the planet has been vaccinated, there are massive geographic and wealth
disparities. The majority of global shots have been administered in high- and
moderate-income countries.
^ 200 Million donated Vaccines
and counting. A good start. ^
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