US not joining WHO-led COVID-19 vaccine efforts

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The United States announced on Tuesday the decision of not taking part in an international effort to develop and provide equitable doses of coronavirus vaccine for all countries.
• The reason in part is because the initiative is led by the WHO, which President Trump has slammed for its “China-centric” outlook to the outbreak.
• So far, developments under Trump’s vaccine research have already made advancements in providing safe and effective medicines, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.

The White House announced Tuesday that the US refuses to join in a global coalition to create and provide equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccine doses because it is spearheaded by the World Health Organization. 

President Donald Trump who has criticized the WHO for being very “China-centric” in its approach to the pandemic is confident that US efforts alone could win the race for developing a vaccine. 

According to reports from The Hill, White House spokesman Judd Deere said that developments and trials under Trump’s leadership vaccine and therapeutic research had already made progress in providing groundbreaking and effective medicines.

“The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus, but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations by the corrupt World Health Organization and China,” said Deere. 

He also added that the president “will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own FDA’s gold standard for safety and efficacy.”

Experts however warned that if none of the US vaccine candidates are viable, their decision would deny them access to a global pool of potential vaccines developed by one of the 170 countries participating in the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative. 

Health Finance Institute CEO Andrea Feigl-Ding told The Hill that the decision is deemed very unwise.  “It’s symptomatic of a death culture. That’s a strong word, but us versus them helps no one.”

“The behavior of countries when it comes to vaccines in this pandemic will have political repercussions beyond public health,” Suerie Moon of the Geneva-based Global Health Center at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, told the Washington Post.  “It’s about, are you a reliable partner, or, at the end of the day, are you going to keep all your toys for yourself?, Moon added. 

The WHO together with other international health agencies created COVAX to ensure that in the event that a vaccine is developed in wealthier countries, it will be distributed globally including to poorer countries, according to the outlet. Japan, the European Union and almost every other country in the world are participating in the effort. 

Source: New York Post