US to decide soon on countries to get vaccines

• This includes 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines previously announced by President Biden and at least an additional 20 million doses of U.S. authorized vaccines

By Kelum Bandara

The United States (US) will decide soon on the countries to benefit from its global vaccine sharing initiative, an embassy spokesman said.   

The U.S. will share 13 percent of vaccines produced for it. U.S. Embassy spokesman Nancy VanHorn, in an emailed response to a query posed by Daily Mirror, said her country would work with COVAX and other partners to ensure these vaccines are delivered in a way that is equitable and follows the science and public health data.   
“We don’t yet know which countries will be receiving vaccines, but a decision will be made soon. We plan to share about 13 percent of the vaccines produced for the United States by the end of June—the most of any nation.”
She said President Joe Biden on May 17 reaffirmed his commitment to leading an international and coordinated vaccination effort, announcing that the U.S. will provide 80 million doses of vaccine to meet global needs.