WASHINGTON: Pakistan is set to receive 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the United States, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki has said. The shipment is part of President Joe Biden's commitment to play a leading role in ending the coronavirus pandemic everywhere, she told her regular briefing on Monday.

Last week, the US president had announced his plans to allocate 75 percent of unused Covid-19 vaccines through the UN-backed Covax global vaccine sharing programme. The White House unveiled the allocation for sharing the first 25 million doses with the world.

Of the first tranche of 25 million doses, the White House says about 19 million will go to Covax, with approximately 6 million for South and Central America, 7 million for Asia, and 5 million for Africa. The doses mark a substantial - and immediate - boost to the lagging Covax effort, which to date has shared just 76 million doses with needy countries.