The United States has assured it will be the world’s largest vaccine donor

The Joe Biden government assured on Wednesday that the United States will be the largest distributor of vaccines in the world, after increase the doses it will deliver to the rest of the world to 80 million, which will be distributed via the COVAX platform and also in coordination with partners in Washington.

Gayle Smith, appointed as the State Department’s coordinator for the global response to COVID-19, said a final decision on where to donate vaccines has yet to be made. “We are looking at all regions of the world and they are all in need. We are studying how to get the maximum coverage and where they will be most effective. The demand is everywhere, ”he said at a press conference.

The official confirmed that the White House will allocate a significant portion of the doses to the platform COVAX (The Global Vaccine Access Fund has focused on low-income countries), but it is also working with partners, such as the G-7 and the European Union, to define the global response.

“We are committed to COVAX. Of course, it is a central platform for our distribution. We will have more information when we have defined our decision ”, Indian. In addition, he stressed that the decision to distribute vaccines “will not be a method of influence or pressure, but according to need”, alluding to the so-called vaccine diplomacy carried out by Russia and China, and said he trusted the platform. promoted by the WHO bases its decisions on scientific data without the influence of diplomatic pressure.

“(United States) It will be the largest vaccine distributor to date (…). 80 million is a start, we think there will be more shared doses in the world. The United States wants to lead by example, but it requires everyone’s effort and we are going to see other countries increase shared vaccines ”, added Smith, nominated by Biden in April.

He also specified that the deadlines depend on deliveries from laboratories and the approval of the FDA (health regulatory agency) vis-à-vis the AstraZeneca formula, which represents more than 75% of the vaccines that will be given.

The former head of USAID (the US international aid coordination agency) also assured that work was underway to bridge the deep gap in the distribution of vaccines between rich countries and less developed countries. “We are aware of the systemic impact of the pandemic, particularly in low-income countries. We want to mitigate the economic impact, ”he added.

On Monday, Biden said Russia and China “donated 15 million doses.”

The COVAX platform will reach 65 million vaccines donated in the coming days, far from the 170 million expected by that date, according to Unicef ​​in a press release in which it stresses that it is now time to donate the remaining doses.

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