WASHINGTON (AP) – Millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine are in cold storage in the United States, which cannot be injected in the states because they are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but the Biden administration does not allow them to be sent abroad, where American allies are struggling to get enough doses for vulnerable populations.
The two-dose vaccine from AstraZeneca received emergency approval from the European Union and the World Health Organization, but not in the US. U.S. partners urge President Joe Biden to release supplies, noting that the administration has aligned enough doses of the three vaccines already approved to cover every American adult by the end of May. and the entire American population by the end of July.
AstraZeneca said the vaccines produced in the US are “owned” by the US government and that sending them abroad would require White House approval.
“We understand that other governments could have contacted the US government regarding the donation of AstraZeneca doses and we have asked the US government to consider these requests,” AstraZeneca spokesman Gonzalo Viña said in a statement.
EU ambassadors this week discussed the challenge of accessing US-produced doses of AstraZeneca photos. The German government said on Friday that it had contacted US officials about the supply of vaccines, but stressed that the European Commission had led when it came to procuring fire for member states.
Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instructed representatives to discuss supply chains in vaccine production.
“We hope that we will be in a position on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure that sufficient doses of vaccine are distributed in accordance with the program so that we can complete vaccination campaigns,” said EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer. .
Even though it is not approved in the US, over 10 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine are stored in the country for domestic use and cannot be exported under the company’s agreement with the federal government.
“We have a small inventory of AstraZeneca, so if it’s approved, we can pass it on to the American people as soon as possible,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday, saying the US is following the same procedure as the photos already approved.
Drug manufacturers who received federal assistance in developing or expanding the dosage of the vaccine were forced to sell the first doses to the United States. 300 million doses – enough for 150 million Americans – before vaccine clinical trial issues get US approval
The company said this month that it will have about 30 million doses available to the US government by the end of March and another 20 million by the end of April.
While foreign regulators advanced with the approval of the shooting, the US did not waive the contractual request for initial doses produced in the US.
This policy has also been criticized by American neighbors, such as Canada and Mexico, who have been forced to look for vaccines manufactured on another continent, rather than across the border. Its implementation comes as the Biden administration has purchased enough doses of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to be able to inoculate 150 million more people than its population by the end of the year.
The US has also ordered 110 million doses of Novavax vaccine, which is expected to be submitted for emergency approval as soon as next month.
“We want to be overworked and over-prepared,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday, saying Biden wants unforeseen events in the event of unforeseen problems with the existing production schedule.
“We still don’t know which vaccine will be most effective for children,” she added. “We still don’t know the impact of the variants or the need for booster photos. And these doses can be used for both booster photos and for need. Obviously, this is still being studied by the FDA, but again we want to be too prepared. ”
Pressed on Thursday on the situation of AstraZeneca, Psaki said: “We have privately transmitted what we have transmitted publicly, namely that our emphasis is to make sure that the American people are vaccinated.”
The 30,000-person AstraZeneca trial in the United States did not complete registration until January. The company gave no indication of when the initial results might be ready beyond an executive, with AstraZeneca’s US division telling Congress last month that it expected it to be “soon”.
Against the backdrop of its own vaccine launch, the EU appears to be increasingly resigned to the Biden administration, retaining dose control.
Although the bloc of 27 nations is eager to relaunch a fruitful transatlantic relationship after the defeat of the Trump presidency, EU-US cooperation is proving to be a thorny issue, with some in Europe considering it a continuation of former President Donald’s “America First” approach. of Trump.
The EU is at odds with AstraZeneca, as the company delivers far fewer doses to the block than promised. From the initial order for 80 million doses to the EU in the first quarter of this year, the company will struggle to deliver half of the quantity.
Despite the shortage at home and often accused of vaccine protectionism, the bloc of 27 nations has allowed the export of more than 34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in recent weeks, including 953,723 fires in the United States.
Meanwhile, Russia and China, whose leaders do not face voters in free and fair elections, have used their domestic blows for strategic leverage.
China has promised about half a billion doses of its vaccines to more than 45 countries, according to a country-by-country assessment by the Associated Press. Four of China’s many vaccine manufacturers say they will be able to produce at least 2.6 billion doses this year.
Russia has sent millions of doses of its Sputnik V vaccine to countries around the world, even if they vaccinate their own population. Analysts say the goal of this vaccine diplomacy is to strengthen Russia’s image as a scientific, technological and benevolent power, especially as other countries face shortages of COVID-19 vaccines as richer nations collect Western-made versions.
Israel, which has vaccinated more than half of its population with Pfizer vaccines produced in Europe, has also tried to use vaccine diplomacy to reward allies.
Biden called on the United States to make a financial contribution to the COVAX alliance backed by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, which will help share the vaccine with more than 90 low- and middle-income countries, but has not yet committed to divide no dose.
___
Casert and Petrequin reported from Brussels. Danika Kirka in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin and Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed.
___
Follow all the AP pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak