The U.S. announced this week that it will share an additional 20 million doses of the New Crown (CCP virus) vaccine with other countries, after having pledged to share 60 million doses. The question that remains unanswered is: Where will these vaccines go?
On Wednesday (May 19), in a conference call where the questions read like a barrage, Gail Smith, the U.S. State Department’s global New Crown outbreak response coordinator, dodged the question despite repeated urgent questions from journalists in the Caribbean, India, Brazil, Africa, East Asia and the European Union.
Smith stressed, however, that the U.S. is working closely with the Global New Crown Vaccine Initiative (COVAX) facility to determine where the vaccine is most needed and how it can be distributed in the most equitable manner.
“We have not yet made a decision on distribution,” she said repeatedly. “We will be providing that information to you in the near future. What we are doing is looking at every region of the world, and we are very aware that vaccine coverage on the African continent is extremely low.”
UN health experts estimate that of the 1.4 billion doses of vaccines administered worldwide, only 24 million have been administered in Africa – less than 2 percent.
Another point Smith emphasized was that while the United States’ biggest rivals, China and Russia, are increasing their vaccine donations around the world, this U.S. initiative is not “vaccine diplomacy. Smith has repeatedly emphasized that the United States will distribute vaccines based on need, not for profit.
“When it comes to vaccine diplomacy, our view is that – and I think the important point here is – vaccines are a public health tool,” she said. “They are the means to end the pandemic. We do not believe they are, nor do we intend to use them as a means of influence or pressure. Our decisions will be based on need, public health data and, again, collaboration with key partners, which absolutely includes COVAX.”
Smith did mention, however, that the U.S. is the largest vaccine donor to COVAX, and urged other wealthy countries to step up their efforts as well. She also noted that this donation of vaccines will be accompanied by investments in vaccine production sites around the world and U.S. assistance to improve access to treatments and testing tools in other countries.
A large portion of the funding for these vaccines comes from U.S. taxpayers. President Joe Biden explained his thinking this week when he announced the decision to donate vaccines worldwide.
“In the battle against the New Coronavirus epidemic, our nation will be the world’s vaccine arsenal,” said President Joe Biden, who announced on the 17th that the United States will share an additional 20 million doses of New Coronavirus vaccine with the world over the next six weeks. These vaccines will come from existing, U.S.-made Pfizer, Modena or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This follows a U.S. commitment to provide about 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries.
“People talk a lot about Russia and China impacting the world with vaccines,” he said. “We want to lead the world with our values, this demonstration of our innovation and ingenuity and the basic civilized demeanor of the American people. Just as the United States was the arsenal of democracy in World War II, our nation will be the vaccine arsenal for the nations of the world in the battle against the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.”
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