While Others Are Trying To Get COVID-19 Vaccines, US Is Sitting On Millions Of Unused Doses

It is not a secret that the COVID-19 vaccine distribution around the world was not fair or equitable and was heavily in the favour of some rich nations.

But that is by design, as the rich nations paid huge amounts to these vaccine makers in advance, which helped them expedite the research and bring out vaccines in less than a year.

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Countries, where these vaccine makers are based, have also placed restrictions on exports, making the difficult life-saving shots to reach more people.

The United States, which is the worst affected country is facing an altogether different problem.

Millions of vaccines lying idle

According to a report by The New York Times, tens of millions of doses of the coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca are sitting idly in the US manufacturing facility.

This is because the vaccine co-developed by Oxford University is yet to be authorized to use in the country.

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Currently, the US has cleared, the COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson, while the Oxford vaccine is still under clinical trial.

Last May, the Trump administration pledged up to $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to finance the development and manufacturing of its vaccine, and to supply the United States with 300 million doses if it proved effective.?

As of now, about 30 million doses are currently bottled at AstraZeneca’s facility in West Chester, Ohio, which handles “fill-finish,” the final phase of the manufacturing process, during which the vaccine is placed in vials, one official with knowledge of the stockpile told NYT.

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Emergent BioSolutions, a company in Maryland that AstraZeneca has contracted to manufacture its vaccine in the United States, has also produced enough vaccine in Baltimore for tens of millions more doses once it is filled into vials and packaged, the official said.

It also reported that AstraZeneca’s vaccine is the subject of an intense debate among White House and federal health officials, with some arguing the administration should let the stockpile be exported abroad where they are desperately needed, while others are not ready to relinquish them, according to senior administration officials.