The White House has reached a deal to provide 500 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to 100 countries over the next year, The New York Times reported June 9.
President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce the deal as early as June 10, multiple people familiar with the plan told the Times. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, PhD, is expected to appear with the president when the announcement is made.
Countries have pleaded with the U.S. to share some of its vaccine supplies with lower-income countries, according to the Times, and President Biden has been under pressure to do more to address the global vaccine shortage and disparities between rich and poor countries.
People familiar with the plan told the Times that the U.S. will pay for the doses at a "not-for-profit" price. The first 200 million doses are to be distributed this year, with the other 300 million to be distributed by the middle of next year.
President Biden previously pledged to send 80 million vaccine doses abroad by the end of June. The World Health Organization estimates 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate the world, the Times reported.
Read the full article here.