There’s a newfound sense of optimism in Washington that the United States government is finally well-positioned to begin large-scale COVID-19 vaccine distribution to countries throughout the Global South and challenge Russian and Chinese dominance in the space.

At a pace of 2.5 million injections a day, the U.S. is now tracking far ahead of most other major countries, including China, and is forecasting some degree of herd immunity by mid-summer or early fall. With production capacity also steadily increasing, especially for the new one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is particularly well-suited for developing countries, U.S. officials are becoming increasingly optimistic they’ll be able to start sending millions of doses to developing countries around the world.