US shipping 488,000 vaccine doses to Rwanda

WASHINGTON: The United States this week is shipping the first vaccine doses of the 500 million Covid-19 global sharing commitment it made at the Group of Seven summit in June.
The US is sending 488,370 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Rwanda, of which 188,370 come as the first batch of the half-billion dose order placed by the US to share with lower and moderate-income countries.
The White House says the balance of the doses will come from existing US surplus of shots.
The US has already shared more than 110 million surplus doses this summer. The Pfizer order is expected to make available at least 200 million doses through the end of this year to be donated around the world, with 300 million more delivered in the first half of 2022.
The announcement comes as the US is expected to recommend a third dose of the mRNA vaccines for all ages, approximately 8 months after the second dose, to boost protection against the coronavirus.