How the U.S. will allocate its first 25 million COVID vaccine doses worldwide
CBSN
The Biden administration announced on Thursday its plans to distribute the first 25 million of the 80 million vaccine doses the U.S. intends to send around the world.
Of that 25 million, 19 million or 75% of those doses will be distributed through COVAX, which aims to help the countries most at risk. Doses shared through COVAX will be prioritized for Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. The remaining 6 million vaccine doses will go toward regions prioritized by the U.S., including to Canada and Mexico. Overall, the Biden administration plans to distribute 80 million excess COVID-19 vaccine doses around the world by the end of the month. According to the White House, the 25 million doses will include the Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, but not AstraZeneca, which is still under review by the Food and Drug Administration.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.