Science

The US Will Send COVID-19 Vaccines Worldwide As India Struggles With Thousands Of Deaths

The AstraZeneca vaccines are authorized in India but still awaiting an FDA go-ahead in the US. Up to 60 million doses will be shared with India amid a catastrophic surge in cases there.

by Dan Vergano

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on April 26, 2021, 7:29 pm

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{ "id": 126948176 } Hindustan Times / Getty Images

Relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in New Delhi.

{ "id": 126947987 }

The US will share up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines with India and other nations, according to Biden administration officials.

The move follows a call on Monday morning between President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Our two nations have suffered greatly," said a senior Biden administration official during an afternoon background briefing on the decision to send oxygen, drugs, and supplies to manufacture vaccines to India. "We remember India's generosity toward us early in the pandemic."

The announcement comes as about 1 in every 3 cases of COVID-19 recorded daily is now in India. In April, India's outbreak has seen record numbers of cases overwhelming hospitals and oxygen supplies. About 2,500 deaths a day are now reported there, widely seen as an undercount that is 5 to 10 times higher.

{ "id": 126951711 } Peter Aldhous / BuzzFeed News / Via Johns Hopkins University CSSE

Cases of COVID-19 have exploded in India since March 2021. Lines show seven-day rolling averages.

{ "id": 126947987 }

National security officials in the Biden administration said India's dire surge in cases and the continuing pandemic elsewhere justified releasing the doses from the US's supplies of the shots. Supplies of other vaccines are projected to make shots available to every US adult by June.

An AstraZeneca vaccine is authorized in India but still awaiting an FDA go-ahead in the US. The company has not even formally applied for this authorization. A safety review of those shots will be performed by the FDA before they are shipped. Ten million doses are currently available, and another 50 million are in production. The US previously loaned 4 million AstraZeneca shots to Mexico and Canada.

"In short, this is good news but long overdue," said Lawrence Gostin of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. "What we are seeing, however, is two classes of vaccines — one for the developed world and one for the poor. AstraZeneca hasn't been authorized in the US, so it can be donated. But the US is hoarding highly effective vaccines like mRNA vaccines. I hope the US will begin to donate doses of all its vaccine stock. It is the ethically right thing to do, but also it is in our interests."

Administration officials said the US will consider sharing more vaccines as the country's supplies increase and the population is immunized.

Over the weekend, the European Union activated its medical assistance program to offer India oxygen and medical supplies, while Singapore and Saudi Arabia have also sent oxygen. Russia has also said it will fly medical assistance to India. The White House announced on Sunday that it was sending ventilators and protective equipment to India.

Peter Aldhous contributed reporting to this story.

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• COVID Is Ravaging India Harder Than Ever, And The Situation Is Only Getting Worse Peter Aldhous · April 23, 2021
• These Updating Charts And Maps Show The Coronavirus Pandemic’s Impact Across The US And The World Peter Aldhous · July 9, 2020
• The Pandemic Will Likely End In One Of These Four Ways Dan Vergano · April 21, 2021

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  Dan Vergano is a science reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.

  Contact Dan Vergano at [email protected].

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