WH says Biden will prod G-7 nations to donate COVID-19 vaccines

The White House on Thursday formally announced its plan to purchase and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to 92 poorer countries and the African Union, dubbing it the “largest-ever purchase and donation of vaccines by a single country and a commitment by the American people to help protect people around the world from COVID-19.”

President Biden will outline the plan in remarks from Cornwall, England, on the eve of the Group of Seven nations summit.

Mr. Biden will call on the other leaders “to do their parts in contributing to the global supply of safe and effective vaccines,” according to the White House.

News of the donation, which broke Wednesday, comes amid intense pressure on the U.S. and other wealthy nations to help low-income countries get vaccinated.

The coronavirus has killed 3.7 million people globally and has shown an ability to mutate into fast-moving variants, so there is a push to stamp it out everywhere

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Some health experts want the G-7 countries to donate at least 1 billion and preferably 2 billion doses by 2022.

The U.S. said 200 million of its committed doses will be dispatched this year and 300 million in the first half of next year through COVAX, the main vaccine-sharing alliance for the globe.

The administration says the donation is a triumph of American manufacturing. The doses will be produced at four U.S. plants: in Kalamazoo, Michigan, employing more than 3,000 workers; McPherson, Kansas, with 2,000; Chesterfield, Missouri, with 700; and Andover, Massachusetts, with 1,800.

The administration said wealthier countries, including the U.S., are ahead in the global vaccine push, with 64% of American adults receiving at least one shot.