White House and federal health officials are debating the shipment of millions of doses of AstraZeneca overseas while the U.S. government awaits safety clearance for the vaccine.
Senior administration officials he told the New York Times there has been intense debate among U.S. officials about the fate of tens of millions of doses of British-Swedish company vaccine found at Ohio and Maryland manufacturing facilities amid pleas from others countries that have already approved it for use.
Some officials argue that the supply should go abroad, while others are unprepared to give it up, sources told the Times.
AstraZeneca has also been involved in the talks, and the company has explained the times it has urged the U.S. to consider requests from other countries.
“We understand that other governments may have contacted the U.S. government about the donation of AstraZeneca doses and we have asked the U.S. government to carefully consider these requests,” Gonzalo Viña, a spokesman for AstraZeneca, told the Times. .
The company has asked the Biden administration to send the doses to the European Union (EU), but an official told the Times that the administration has refused to do so.
The Times reported that some federal officials have pushed the administration to make the decision in the coming weeks. Some have suggested sending the doses to Brazil, where the coronavirus continues to ravage the population.
AstraZeneca vaccines have not been approved in the U.S. and the company has not yet applied for emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Times report comes after Italy, with the support of the European Commission, blocked the transport of AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia after the company allegedly failed to deliver the requested dose amount to the EU.
The results of the phase three trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the United States are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, but it is unclear how long after the results the vaccine would be approved.
The Hill has contacted AstraZeneca and the White House to comment.