June 10, 2021 -- The U.S. government is buying 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to distribute to low- and lower middle-income countries and organizations that support them, according to a release from the companies.
The U.S. government will purchase 200 million doses in 2021 and 300 million in the first half of 2022 at a nonprofit price and will distribute the vaccine doses to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and economies and the 55 member states of the African Union. The U.S. government and the companies will work with Covax to ensure these vaccines are delivered to the specified countries around the world in a way that is most efficient and equitable, Pfizer said.
These doses are part of Pfizer and BioNTech's previously announced pledge to provide 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to low- and middle-income countries over the next 18 months.