The White House and federal health officials are debating the sending of millions of doses of AstraZeneca abroad, while the US government awaits safety approval for the vaccine.
Senior government officials he told The New York Times There has been intense debate among US officials about the fate of tens of millions of doses of the British-Swedish vaccine in factories in Ohio and Maryland, amid requests for supplies from other nations that have already approved the use. his.
Some officials say the supply should go abroad, while others are not ready to give it up, sources told the Times.
AstraZeneca was also involved in the talks, and the company has repeatedly said it has asked the US to heed the demands of other countries.
“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 pay considerable attention to these requests,” an AstraZeneca spokesman told the Times.
The company asked the Biden administration to send the doses to the European Union (EU), but an official told the Times that the administration refused to do so.
The Times reported that some federal officials pushed the administration to make the decision in the coming weeks. Some have suggested sending doses to Brazil, where the coronavirus continues to devastate the population.
AstraZeneca vaccines have not been approved in the United States, and the company has not yet applied for emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Times report comes after Italy, with the support of the European Commission, blocked AstraZeneca vaccines from being shipped to Australia, after the company failed to deliver the required dose to the EU.
The results of the third phase study of the US AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in the next few weeks, but it is unclear how soon after the results the vaccine will be approved for use.
Hill contacted AstraZeneca and the White House for comments.