Egypt is not among list of 65 countries that received U.S. COVID-19 vaccines

Egypt is not on the list of 60 countries to which the United States has donated and shipped more than 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

In June, U.S. President Joe Biden promised that his country would be “the arsenal of vaccines for the rest of the world.”

Indonesia was the top recipient at 8 million doses, followed by Columbia and the Philippines with over 6 million apiece. For the Middle East and North African region, Sudan received an amount of 604,000, Tunisia of 1 million, Morocco of 302,000, and Jordan of 503,000 doses from the United States.

According to the White House’s fact sheet, the U.S. has delivered 111,701,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines to 65 countries worldwide, including Tunisia, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Canada, and Brazil.

The Biden administration looks at a variety of factors to prioritise which countries receive the shots first, including COVID-19 case rates, death rates, hospitalisations, current vaccination rates, responses to surges, and a country’s ability to receive vaccines and put shots into arms, the White House statement read.

“Our goals are to increase global COVID-19 vaccination coverage, prepare for surges, and prioritise healthcare workers and other vulnerable populations based on public health data and acknowledged best practice, and help our neighbours and other countries in need. Importantly, the United States has not and will not use its vaccines to secure favours from other countries. Our aim is to save lives,” the White House added.

The statement asserted that the more than 110 million doses are “just the beginning” of the administration’s efforts to provide vaccines worldwide.

Starting late August, the United States will begin shipping half a billion Pfizer doses that it has pledged to purchase and donate to 100 low-income countries in need, the White House added without mentioning who is next in line to receive the shots.