G7 Summit: U.K. PM pledges to donate 100 million COVID vaccine doses

It will donate 5 million doses by the end of September, beginning in the coming weeks, primarily for use in the world’s poorest countries

The U.K. will donate 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses to the world within the next year, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday at the start of the G7 Summit in Cornwall. Ahead of the formal sessions of the summit -- bringing together leaders of the U.K., U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan as well the European Union and guest nations India, South Africa, Australia and South Korea -- Mr. Johnson as the host vowed to "take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good". At the Summit, to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually, world leaders are expected to announce they will provide at least 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to the world through dose sharing and financing and set out a plan to expand vaccine manufacturing in order to achieve that goal.