Biden Pledges Full Support to India's Modi Amid World's Largest Covid Surge

The U.S. announced Monday it would share its entire supply of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine with other countries and readied an aid package for India, as President Joe Biden pivots to ramp up U.S. pandemic assistance to the rest of the world.

The decision would make as many as 60 million vaccine doses available for export in coming months, if they clear a federal safety review. The plan represents a shift for Biden, who has hesitated to give vaccine doses and materials to other countries while focusing on ensuring Americans are vaccinated first.

“Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the United States has already authorized and that is available in large quantities -- including two two-dose vaccines and one one-dose vaccine -- and given AstraZeneca is not authorized for use in the United States, we do not need to use AstraZeneca in our fight against Covid over the next few months,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.

The announcement reflects growing pressure the U.S. has faced to share its vaccine supply with other countries, such as India, that have seen surges of Covid-19 infections or struggled to jump-start their vaccination drives. It also shows that the Biden administration is confident in its vaccine stockpile, especially after sites over the weekend were cleared to resume administering the Johnson & Johnson one-dose shot.

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