Biden pledges up to $4 billion to help get poorer countries vaccinated against COVID-19
Source: CBS News
BY TUCKER REALS
FEBRUARY 19, 2021 / 11:33 AM / CBS NEWS
In a reversal of his predecessor's U.S.-centric approach to tackling the coronavirus pandemic, President Biden is ramping up pressure on America's wealthiest allies Friday to get COVID-19 vaccine doses into poor and developing countries. Mr. Biden told his fellow G7 leaders during a virtual summit that the U.S. would contribute up to $4 billion to COVAX, the World Health Organization-backed initiative aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines around the world.
A senior administration official said on Thursday that Mr. Biden's announcement was aimed at least in part at leveraging U.S. partners around the world to bolster their own support for the initiative.
President Biden was committing $2 billion to COVAX up front — which is $2 billion more than the U.S. had offered under his predecessor — and then another $2 billion over the coming two years, provided other nations fulfill their own commitments to the program. Officials said on Thursday that the money was earmarked by Congress in the December 2020 spending bill, so it would have no impact on domestic vaccination efforts in the U.S.
The senior official said the White House recognized that ensuring health security everywhere around the world was in the direct interest of the U.S., too.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-covid-vaccine-covax-4-billion-pledge-poor-countries-coronavirus-equity/
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