WASHINGTON – An international effort to speed up the production and distribution of coronavirus vaccines around the world was boosted in two areas on Thursday: White House officials said the Biden government had pledged $ 4 billion in US pledge donating the campaign over two years will succeed. , and the pharmaceutical company Novavax has pledged to sell 1.1 billion doses of its vaccine.
President Biden will make his announcement on Friday during a virtual meeting with other leaders of the Group of 7, where he is also expected to appeal to other countries to increase their contributions. The $ 4 billion was approved by a Democratic-led House and Republican-led Senate last year when President Donald J. Trump was in office.
Public health experts often say that unless everyone is vaccinated, it is as if no one is being vaccinated. One of the officials, who spoke anonymously to preview the president’s announcement, said it was also in the interest of international security that the United States assist in efforts abroad to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
Countries such as India and China are already using the coronavirus vaccine as a diplomatic tool; both give away doses to other countries in an effort to expand their global influence. National security experts said the United States should consider doing the same.
“We can use the vaccine internationally to strengthen our relations with allies, to possibly bring about a positive cooperation with China, to deal with humanitarian issues in less developed parts of the world,” said Richard J. Danzig, the secretary of the Navy, said. President Bill Clinton, said in an interview late last year and deplores the Trump administration’s indifference to the idea. Such an effort, he said, “could give us a huge national security advantage.”
The Biden White House is apparently heading in that direction. After appointing him to office, Mr. Biden ordered federal agencies to “create a framework for donating surplus vaccines as soon as there is sufficient supply in the United States, to countries in need,” including through the international program.
But an official said Thursday that the United States will not share vaccines now as the domestic vaccination campaign expands.
The government has secured 600 million doses of the two vaccines that have emergency care, enough for 300 million Americans. The doses are expected to be available by the end of the summer, and Mr. Biden said this week that vaccines will be available to every American by the end of July. If additional vaccines are approved, it is likely to contribute to the United States.
The international vaccination effort, known as Covax, was led by the public-private health partnership known as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organization. The aim is to distribute vaccines deemed safe and effective by the WHO, with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries.
White House officials said the money would be delivered in several parts: an initial donation of $ 500 million immediately, followed by shortly thereafter $ 1.5 billion. The remaining $ 2 billion will be delivered by the end of 2022.
The president’s involvement in the global fight against the pandemic is a stark contrast to the approach of Mr. Trump, who withdrew from the World Health Organization and rejected foreign aid and pursued a foreign policy he called ‘America First’. Mr. Biden rejoined the World Health Organization immediately after taking office in January.
One of the officials said Mr. Biden will call on other countries to make important promises to Covax.
So far, according to the White House, the United States has promised more than any other nation; the official said the goal was to utilize the second tranche of $ 2 billion to as much as $ 15 billion – the amount needed by the government to increase and distribute the supply of vaccine around the world.
Those leading the Covax effort greeted the announcement of Novavax with enthusiasm. Gavi CEO Dr Seth Berkley said in a statement that the donation would help the campaign bring a closure to our goal of delivering two billion doses by 2021. ‘He said it would also expand the range of vaccinations it could rely on to draw up a portfolio suitable for all circumstances and contexts. ‘