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After a choppy first few weeks the US vaccination programme has really kicked into gear, with the country now having administered more doses than any other in the world and having inoculated almost as much of its population as the UK has. US President Joe Biden has said that come the end of May there should be enough doses out there to vaccinate every American adult, which begs a more sensitive question. What should then happen to any spare doses the country is able to produce?
Already lobbying has begun to lay claim to any potential US spare capacity. The European Union, for example, wants to import millions of doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which are currently sitting in freezers here awaiting regulatory approval. So far, they have been rebuffed. But Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, has said that the European Union might impose its own export controls on vaccines in an effort to secure extra supply.
Meanwhile, Canada and Mexico are making their own claims to any potential spare capacity, pointing out that US health security would be all the greater if its two closest neighbours were also well vaccinated.
But there are other concerns at play here. The US has already begun testing these vaccines in children and may want to hold some doses back to vaccinate them. Meanwhile, Peter Marks, the head of the vaccine division at the US Food and Drug Administration, told Congress that some doses might also be needed in the future for booster shots.
So far, Joe Biden has enjoyed a relatively smooth first two months in power, having overseen not only a ramp up in vaccine supply but also the safe passage of his coronavirus stimulus bill. This, however, could prove a real test for the new US president. Does he, as promised, make America into a more secure partner for its international allies or does he default to putting America first.
