Nearly 50 African countries are set to receive 25 million Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by the United States, with the first shipments to Burkina Faso, Djibouti and Ethiopia in the coming days, according to US officials and the Gavi vaccine alliance.

"In partnership with the African Union and Covax, the United States is proud to donate 25m Covid-19 vaccines to 49 African countries. The Biden Administration is committed to leading the global response to the pandemic by providing safe and effective vaccines to the world,” Gayle Smith, the US State Department's coordinator for Covid-19 recovery and global health, said in the statement.

Nearly a million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be delivered to Burkina Faso, Djibouti and Ethiopia in the coming days, the statement said.

It added that the remainder will be shipped in the coming weeks.

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