U.S. Is Holding Millions of AstraZeneca Doses Mar. 15, 2021 -- The U.S. is holding onto tens of millions of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine doses in manufacturing facilities as scientists wait on clinical trial data to indicate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, according to The New York Times. Other countries that have authorized the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine are asking for the doses, which has become a major debate among White House and federal health officials, the newspaper reported. Some say the doses should go to other countries, but some disagree. “We understand other governments may have reached out to the U.S. government about donation of AstraZeneca doses, and we’ve asked the U.S. government to give thoughtful consideration to these requests,” said Gonzalo Viña, a spokesman for AstraZeneca, told the newspaper.