U.S. doubling purchase of COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle-income countries

The U.S. is donating an additional half a billion Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to low and lower-middle income countries around the globe, President Biden announced Wednesday. Shipments will start in January 2022.

This commitment brings the total number of vaccines donated by the U.S. to over 1.1 billion doses, including the 500 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses the U.S. already purchased in June and began shipping in August.

“The United States is buying another half a billion doses of Pfizer to donate to low- and middle-income countries around the world,” President Biden said during his address at a virtual international summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday. Biden described the ramping up of US vaccine donations as a “historic commitment”.

As we fight COVID-19 here at home, we need to continue our efforts overseas. That’s why today, I announced we’re increasing our total vaccine donation to over 1.1 billion doses — more than every other country combined.

That’s American leadership on the global stage.
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 22, 2021

With this announcement, the U.S. is donating three doses to the world for everyone shot it has administered at home, Biden said.

According to the White House, the U.S. has already shipped nearly 160 million doses to 100 countries, donating more vaccines than all other countries combined for free and with zero strings attached, with millions more shipping each day.

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