Unlike the other recently announced US vaccine donations, the new doses will not come from the country’s existing stockpile but are being made available through a special deal with Pfizer, which foresees the federal government buying the shots at a “not for profit” price. The first 200 million are planned to be distributed by the end of this year through the World Health Organization’s COVAX scheme. Another 300 million doses are expected to be delivered up to June 2022.

According to reports, the Biden administration is also in discussions with Moderna to supply its mRNA vaccine to other countries in a similar deal. Amid the discussion of mandatory patent waivers as a means of ending the Covid-19 pandemic, both Pfizer and Moderna have said they were willing to sell at cost to the US government to contribute to wider distribution of the vaccines.

Announcing the plans in a speech made shortly after landing at the British Royal Air Force’s Mildenhall base in Suffolk, England, early on Jun. 10, Biden said, “we have to end Covid-19, not just at home, which we’re doing, but everywhere. There’s no wall high enough to keep us safe from this pandemic or the next biological threat we face, and there will be others. It requires coordinated multilateral action.”

The pledged 500 million Pfizer/BioNTech doses exceed six-fold what the US has committed to releasing thus far. Up to now, the White House, under pressure to free up some of its oversupply, had promised to share 80 million doses. On Jun. 3, the White House said 75% of the donations would be routed through the World Health Organization’s COVAX program to countries most at risk.

In its own call for multilateral action, the EU on Jun. 4 submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) seeking the commitment of its members to expand the production of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments to provide universal and fair access. European Commission president Ursula van der Leyen said she hoped to discuss the plans at the G7 summit in St. Ives. Ironically, one of the local hotels housing delegates has been closed, due to Covid cases among staff.

Brussels is calling on world governments to enable Covid vaccines, treatments and their components to cross borders freely and encourage vaccine makers to expand their production, while ensuring that those countries most in need of vaccines receive them at an affordable price. It is also pushing for compulsory licensing within the WTO's existing Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).  

The EU has already announced that it will donate least 100 million doses by the end of the year. Speculation is that the bulk of the contingent will be AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson shots. For Eurpe’s own populations, the Commission has already said it wants to concentrate on the mRNA vaccines of Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and the CureVac shot, now in late-stage trials. Of the developed nations with a sizeable vaccine stockpile, only the UK has not committed to donating any of its supply.

Unlike President Biden, van der Leyen did not come out in support of patent waivers as a step toward making more vaccines available. Biden himself – as commentators said the agreement with Pfizer/BioNTech indicates – also appears to be backing away from his initial commitment to waivers, convinced by the vaccine makers that it would not produce the short-term improvement in distribution that many hope for.

At a special summit to be held in Brussels on Jun.15, the Reuters news agency said the EU and the US will agree to reduce export restrictions on Covid-19 vaccines and drugs, stressing that voluntary sharing of technology is the key to boosting output. Quoting a draft statement, Reuters said Brussels and Washington will "encourage more donors to make 2 billion vaccine doses available worldwide by late 2021."

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist