Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced at a hearing on Tuesday that President-elect Biden would involve the US in the COVAX initiative – the global effort by the World Health Organization and other groups to ensure every country has access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Why it matters: Almost the whole world has signed up with COVAX, except for the US and Russia. It is expected to be the sole source of vaccines for some of the world’s poorest countries, and it needs additional funding to achieve its goal of vaccinating at least 20% of the population in each country by the end of 2021.
- COVAX is designed so that high and middle-income countries provide funding to develop and distribute vaccines, effectively subsidizing access for low-income countries.
- Given the hundreds of millions of doses the country has already bought directly, the US would likely play the role of financier rather than recipient.
- What to watch: Canada is developing a mechanism that allows countries that have bought more doses than they ultimately need to donate them through COVAX.
What he says: “We believe we can do that – make sure every American gets the vaccine, but also help ensure that others around the world who want it have access to it,” Blinken said of joining COVAX.
The other side: The Trump administration declined to join, citing China’s influence on the WHO.
- Blinken said that while the WHO “needed reform,” the US was better off sitting at the table.
Go deeper: Rich countries are quick to take the vaccine. Others could wait for years