Biden Details Plan to Ship 55 Million Shots, Delays June Target

President Joe Biden is delaying a target date for overseas shipments of 80 million doses of coronavirus vaccines donated by the U.S., with millions of shots produced by AstraZeneca Plc still in a safety review.

Biden’s White House on Monday announced a list of countries that would receive 55 million doses, after previously detailing the first tranche of 25 million. In total, three-quarters of the 80 million will be sent through Covax, a World Health Organization-backed vaccine procurement effort.

The announcement, however, dials back the initial U.S. commitment. Biden once said he’d “send” 80 million doses by the end of June, and is now pledging only to “allocate” them by then, suggesting shipments will stretch into July or beyond.

The delay is due in part to a stockpile of 60 million AstraZeneca doses that he’d planned to donate, and that were meant to make up the bulk of the 80 million. However, those vaccines remain under U.S. Food and Drug Administration review.

The White House announcement on Monday didn’t specify which manufacturers’ shots would make up the 55 million, instead saying that would be announced “as the administration works through the logistical, regulatory and other parameters particular to each region and country.” As recently as two weeks ago, the administration said it expected AstraZeneca to account for the remaining 55 million donated doses this month.

Of the 55 million, approximately 41 million will go to Covax, including:

• Roughly 14 million for Latin America, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras
• Roughly 16 million for Asia, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Taiwan, Philippines and Vietnam
• Roughly 10 million for Africa, going to countries that will be selected in coordination with the African Union

The remaining 14 million will be shipped bilaterally, including to some of the same countries. Other recipients will include Ukraine, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Iraq and the West Bank.

The 80 million doses are the first major U.S. donation internationally, and build on 4.2 million doses “loaned” to Mexico and Canada earlier this year. Mexico and Canada are not listed among recipients of the 55 million allocated on Monday.

The announcement did not spell out a time line. “We will move as expeditiously as possible, while abiding by U.S. and host country regulatory and legal requirements, to facilitate the safe and secure transport of vaccines across international borders,” a White House statement said.

The shipments will begin as soon as countries are ready to receive the doses and once the White House has worked through the complex logistics, a White House official said.

Biden initially announced he’d donate 60 million AstraZeneca doses, and then added 20 million doses of vaccines that have been authorized for U.S. use -- a mix of shots from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson. In May, he said he’d “send 80 million doses overseas” by the end of June.