The Latest: Biden offers vaccines for global sharing program

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to share COVID-19 vaccines with the world, including directing 75% of excess doses through the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program.

The White House has previously stated its intent to share 80 million vaccine doses with the world by the end of June. The administration says 25% of doses will be kept in reserve for emergencies and for the U.S. to share directly with allies and partners.

Of the first 25 million doses, the White House says about 19 million will go to COVAX. That includes about 6 million for South and Central America, 7 million for Asia, and 5 million for Africa. The doses boost the lagging COVAX effort, which so far has allocated just 76 million doses to needy countries.

The vaccine sharing plan comes as demand for shots in the U.S. has dropped significantly and global inequities in supply have become more glaring. So far, more than 63% of American adults have received at least one dose.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Biden offers international COVID-19 vaccine sharing plan

— Slow to start, China mobilizes to vaccinate at headlong pace

— Taiwan says China exploiting vaccines for political gain

— Do I need to get tested for COVID-19 if I’m vaccinated?

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— Follow more of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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