US to export AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for global use

By Teddy Grant Published: April 26, 2021

US to export AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for global use

FILE - In this Monday, March 22, 2021 file photo medical staff prepares an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine during preparations at the vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany. The European Commission says it has launched legal action against vaccine maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the EU. A Commission spokesman said Monday, April 26, 2021 that the reason for the legal action was that “some terms of the contract have not been respected” and that “the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses.” The AstraZeneca vaccine has been central to Europe’s immunization campaign, but the slow pace of deliveries has frustrated the Europeans. AstraZeneca has previously said that its contract with the EU contained vaccine delivery targets, not firm commitments.(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

The United States will share COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca with the rest of the world once it passes federal safety expectations, according to The Associated Press.

Around 60 million doses of the company’s vaccine are expected to be exported globally, the White House told the AP.

“Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients told the AP. “Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available.”

In March, the Biden administration provided 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada.

Over 53% of adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the three available vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was not approved yet by the FDA, as it has not filed for an emergency-use authorization, according to reports.