US to export up to 60 million AstraZeneca Covid vaccine doses

The US is going to send up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca Covid doses, officials announced on Monday as US President Joe Biden pledged to "be there" for India.

Critics have accused Washington of "hoarding" the British-developed vaccine, which is not authorized in the country and will likely not be required to vaccinate Americans.

In recent days, India has faced catastrophic new surge that has overwhelmed its health care system.

"U.S. to release 60 million Astra Zeneca doses to other countries as they become available," tweeted Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to the White House on Covid response.

An administration official told reporters the first 10 million doses could be available "in the coming weeks" after they pass a quality inspection by the Food and Drug Administration.

"Further, there's an estimated additional 50 million doses that are in various stages of production, and these could be completed in stages across May and June," she added.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a briefing that the recipient countries have not yet been decided and that the administration was still formulating its distribution plan.

But India appears to be a leading contender after Biden held a telephone call with his counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pledging US support to fight the Covid surge.

"Today, I spoke with Prime Minister @narendramodi and pledged America's full support to provide emergency assistance and resources in the fight against COVID-19. India was there for us, and we will be there for them," Biden tweeted.

Administration officials added Washington was looking at options to supply oxygen -- from direct shipments to generation systems -- as well as the antiviral drug Remdesivir, personal protective equipment, tests, and teams of experts.

(With inputs from agencies)