By Lauren Egan - NBC News
The White House announced Monday which countries will receive 55 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as part of President Joe Biden's pledge to share 80 million vaccines with the rest of the world by the end of June.
Approximately 41 million doses will be shared through COVAX, a humanitarian program run in part by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to distribute vaccines fairly, which will allocate approximately 14 million to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, 16 million to Asia and 10 million to Africa.
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COVAX's goal is to make 2 billion doses available to countries that need them before the end of the year.
So far, around 88 million doses of vaccines have been shipped to more than 131 participating countries.
Fourteen million of the 55 million doses will also be shared with "regional priorities and other recipients," the White House said.
Those countries and regions include:
Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, other Caribbean countries, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Oman, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, Bosnia and the West Bank and Gaza.
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The White House said they would announce specific vaccine brands and quantities later, as the Administration works out logistics.
The 80 million doses that Biden has pledged to share globally by the end of June have already been accounted for, following Monday's announcement.
The White House announced its first wave of commitments earlier this month, sharing 25 million vaccines with COVAX and governments in need.
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Although 80 million vaccines have been allocated, Biden will likely miss his goal of having them delivered to recipient countries by the end of the month.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that a number of logistical challenges, ranging from transportation hurdles to language barriers, have slowed the process.
About 75% of the 80 million doses were for COVAX, while 25% went directly to selected countries, the White House said.
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The announcement comes now that the supply of vaccines is outstripping demand in the country:
65% of adult Americans have received at least one injection.
Biden continues to reevaluate his strategy to focus on vaccination rates around the world.
The United States and other rich countries were criticized earlier this year for advancing their vaccination while poorer countries struggled to obtain vaccines.
Experts have warned that
global inequality in vaccination could prolong the pandemic for everyone if the coronavirus continues to mutate,
potentially making it more infectious and resistant to vaccines.
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While attending the G-7 summit in Cornwall, England, earlier this month, Biden announced that the United States would also buy and donate 500 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine for countries that don't have enough.
Those vaccines will be delivered through COVAX starting in August.
"Sharing millions of American vaccines with other countries indicates a great commitment on the part of the United States government," the White House said in a statement, adding that
"the United States will not use its vaccines to obtain favors from other countries."
