The White House confirmed Friday it is “loaning” 4 million doses of its AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Canada and Mexico because the shots are approved in those countries but not yet in the U.S.
COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said it was important to stop the spread of the virus across North America, not just the U.S.
The U.S. leads the world in total COVID-19 doses administered and has three approved versions at its disposal. However, the AstraZeneca version is still in trials within the U.S.
“This loan will not reduce the available supply of vaccines to Americans. The doses we are loaning are not approved for use in the United States,” Mr. Zients said. “No American will be without a vaccine because of this action.”
The administration had been facing intense pressure to share doses that were sitting in factories, pending approval, as people get infected and die elsewhere.
“As we await the results of these trials here in the U.S., many countries have already approved AstraZeneca but need more supply. That includes Canada and Mexico,” Mr. Zients said.
Mr. Zients said it will be an actual loan and not a donation, in that future doses must be returned to the U.S. “through the company” later in the year.
The decision to share vaccines with Mexico is noteworthy because it comes as the Biden administration asks the southern neighbor to help with an influx of Central American migrants.
Roughly 2.5 million doses will go to Mexico, while Canada will receive 1.5 million.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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