WASHINGTON – The Biden government is working to finalize plans to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada, the White House said on Thursday.
About 2.5 million doses would go to Mexico and 1.5 million doses to Canada, while US regulators expect the company to provide more data on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy.
The move to release part of the US stockpile, which comes at a time when the government is facing a growing humanitarian crisis on the southern border, would not affect the country’s ability to have enough vaccine doses for all Americans by May, according to the White House.
“Our first priority remains to vaccinate the population of the United States,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during a press conference at the White House. “The reality is that the pandemic knows no boundaries and ensuring that our neighbors can contain the virus is a critical mission to end the pandemic.”
The deal was first reported by Reuters.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet been released for use in the United States, although it is already being administered in Europe and several other countries, some of which have asked the United States to share some of its stored doses. The United States currently has 7 million doses in its stock, according to Psaki.
Government officials said recently that there were no plans to share doses of their stock, citing a desire to be over-prepared in the event of manufacturing disruptions, the emergence of new variants and the potential to vaccinate children as early as the fall. But Psaki said on Thursday that it is also in the United States’ interest to ensure that the virus is controlled at the northern and southern borders of America.
The decision to share doses with neighbors in the United States comes amid doubts about the safety of the vaccine by European authorities. The European Medicines Agency said on Thursday that the vaccine was safe for use after several countries, including Germany, France and Italy, suspended it due to concerns about blood clots in some recipients.
This happened after European regulators said on Tuesday that they had revised the new information and found that there was “no indication” that there was any connection between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clotting. They added that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks.
If the AstraZeneca vaccine is released by US regulators, the country will receive a total of 300 million doses from the company, including the 7 million that the United States already has.
