A health worker applies a vaccine against CoronaVac Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to an elderly citizen in São Gonçalo, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 18, 2021.
Ricardo Moraes | Reuters
President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Friday that the US will spend $ 4 billion on international vaccination efforts against Covid, White House officials said.
Biden, during his first virtual meeting as president with G7 leaders, will also encourage other nations to pledge more money for the global fight against the pandemic, officials told reporters in a conference call on Thursday afternoon.
“This pandemic will not end unless we end it globally,” said one official, while noting that vaccinating Americans remains the government’s “highest priority”.
“But pandemics travel,” said the official, and “the more diseases there are, the more likely we are to see additional mutations and variants.”
The funds were appropriated by Congress as part of the Covid relief bill that was signed in late December with overwhelming bipartisan support, despite former President Donald Trump calling the package “disgrace”.
The Biden government plans to contribute half of that $ 4 billion “almost immediately” to the global nonprofit vaccine alliance Gavi, an official said.
Gavi is co-leader of COVAX, an international initiative that aims to increase access to Covid’s vaccines. The initial US $ 2 billion delivery from the United States aims to boost access to the Covid vaccine to 92 low- and middle-income economies with the support of COVAX’s Advanced Market Commitment.
The government plans to distribute the remaining $ 2 billion in stages until 2022, officials said, with the aim of encouraging other donors to increase their contributions.
“Basically, we want to turn this into a way to translate $ 2 billion into several billion dollars,” said an official on the conference call, setting a target of at least $ 15 billion for “what is likely to be needed to really boost supply vaccine worldwide. “
The government emphasized that funds with a global focus will not impact the US domestic vaccination program. Officials said that if Congress passes Covid’s additional relief bill being pushed by Biden and Democratic lawmakers, they plan to ensure that they get enough vaccine to meet their schedule goals.
“When we have enough stock, our intention is to consider donating surplus vaccines” abroad, said an official.
Asked to explain the importance of supporting global vaccination efforts, an official said: “In addition to saving many lives … it is also the right thing to do from an economic and national security standpoint to benefit everyone in America.”