James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
2:08 P.M. EDT
MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Okay, today, the administration announced a historic new donation in the global fight to defeat COVID-19. President Biden announced that the United States is purchasing an additional half a billion Pfizer vaccines to donate to low- and lower-middle income countries around the world.
Before today, the United States had already committed to donating over 600 million vaccine doses to the world. That includes 500 million Pfizer doses that we purchased earlier this summer to donate to 100 countries in need — the largest donation of COVID-19 vaccines by a single country ever.
Overall, we have now shipped nearly 160 million of these doses to 100 countries around the world — from Peru to Pakistan, Sri Lanka to Sudan, El Salvador to Ethiopia.
To put this in perspective, the United States has now delivered more free doses than every other country in the world combined. Millions more get shipped each week. And importantly, our donations come with zero strings attached.
Today's announcement brings our total to over 1.1 [billion] vaccines donated to the world to — overall. And we're building from here. This is obviously a huge commitment.
And another piece to put it in perspective: One shots here — for every shot we are delivering here, we are giving — or we are committing three shots to the rest of the world.
This commitment also comes as part of a Joint EU/U.S. Vaccine Sharing Commitment that the United States and Europe will share doses globally to advance — enhance vaccination rates, with a priority on sharing through COVAX and improving vaccination rates urgently in low- and middle-income countries. We welcome the EU's announcement today that they will donate over 500 million doses. This is in addition to the doses we have financed through COVAX.
And these announcements came as part of today's, of course, summit — Global COVID-19 Summit — which gathered together — convened heads of state and leaders from over 100 countries.
Let's see. With that — I just also wanted to also note the Vice President also spoke just recently at the summit. And she announced that the U.S. is contributing at least $250 million to establish a new Global Health Security Financial Intermediary Fund at the World Bank to coalesce resources for pandemic preparedness.
With that, why don't you kick us off.
Q Thanks. Media on the border have reported that many Haitians are being released into the United States. Can you clarify why they're not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti? And does the administration have any concern that these releases undercut the public messaging that Haitians should not come to the border?
MS. PSAKI: Well, let me explain to a little bit of how the process works. So, DHS — the Department of Homeland Security — continues to expel migrants under Title — CDC's Title 42 authority. Those who cannot be expelled — and this has been the case and been our policy and process for migrants coming from any country around the world — under Title 42, and who do not have a legal basis to remain, are placed in either expedi- — or a form of removal proceedings. And individuals who are not immediately removed are either placed in an alternative to detention or transported to an ICE facility.
