Exclusive: African Union to buy up to 110 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccines - officials

FILE PHOTO: Medical staff prepare Moderna coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to be administered at newly-opened mass vaccination centre in Tokyo, Japan, May 24, 2021. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The African Union (AU) intends to buy up to 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc in an arrangement brokered in part by the White House, which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the United States to facilitate the deal, officials told Reuters.

The AU's doses will be delivered over the coming months, with 15 million arriving before the end of 2021, 35 million in the first quarter of next year and up to 60 million in the second quarter.