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World / Americas

US shipping more coronavirus vaccines to African countries

Published: 03 Sep 2021 - 03:20 pm | Last Updated: 01 Nov 2021 - 10:10 am
Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Reuters

WASHINGTON: The United States will ship more than 1.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to four African countries through the global COVAX distribution program on Friday, a White House official said.

The shipments include 250,320 doses of the Moderna vaccine for the Democratic Republic of Congo, 657,080 Moderna doses for Uganda, 302,400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for Guinea; and 35,100 doses of the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech for Seychelles.

The doses are being delivered through COVAX, jointly run by the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).

Africa has lagged sharply behind other regions in vaccinating its citizens, with most countries reporting single-digit vaccination rates, compared with much higher double-digit rates in advanced economies such as the United States.