Covid Live Updates: Hawaii Is The Last State To Abandon Masks


Credit…Victor Moriyama for The New York Times

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it plans to contribute $150 million over the next three years to a global effort to rapidly produce a vaccine should a new biological threat emerge. Still, activists and health experts have urged the US to do more to fight the current coronavirus pandemic.

The financial commitment that will require the approval of Congress is only a small part of what is required for the project undertaken. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovationsa global foundation. The CEO of the coalition, Dr. Richard Hatchett announced A $3.5 billion five-year effort to “face the next Disease X with a new vaccine in just 100 days.”

Tuesday’s announcement reflects a plan announced by President Biden State of the Union speechwhen it pledged to invest in the effort to produce new vaccines within 100 days of the arrival of future coronavirus variants. The contribution was announced by Samantha Power, director of the US Agency for International Development. a peak It was convened by the British government and the coalition known as CEPI. The coalition also supports Covax, the international effort to bring COVID-19 vaccines to the world. struggled to get doses in people’s arms.

Addressing the participants of the summit with the video, Ms. Power said, “Like yours, our eyes are on the horizon – on the epidemic or pandemic that has not yet appeared.” “As we continue our current efforts to end this epidemic, we do not lose sight of our long-term preparedness goals.”

The management’s commitment comes as Mr Biden is under pressure to do more to combat Covid as well as prepare for the next pandemic. Last week, Management asked Congress An additional $22.5 billion to fight the pandemic at home and abroad, and Mr Biden is expected to host his own global Covid summit in the coming weeks.

The President has repeatedly said that the United States contributes more money to the world than any other country and donates more doses of coronavirus vaccines.

But two recent analyzes, one by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the other by Public Citizen, show that the United States has failed to deliver on its promise to be the nation’s “arsenal of vaccines” for the world.

Kaiser Family Foundation analysis He found that when monetary donations and doses are measured by a country’s gross domestic product, the United States does not lead the world. this analysis found When considering gross domestic product, the United States ranks 12th in financial donations and 6th in dose donations.

“It was a surprise,” said Jen Kates, who led the foundation’s global health and HIV policy efforts and led the analysis. The White House said the United States has done more than any other donor. We wanted to question that a little bit, and we wanted to see: If you look at it from that perspective, does it hold up?”

A new analysis Titled “The Incomplete Arsenal” by Public Citizen, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken raises questions about whether the administration is falling behind on its timeline to deliver 1.2 billion doses to the world this fall. pledge in December.

When the White House announced its decision new pandemic preparedness plan Last week, it no longer added a timeline to its 1.2 billion dose commitment, many of which will also need congressional funding. Until now, Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, Approximately 487 million doses were shipped. To meet the 1.2 billion doses target, the United States would need to donate more than 70 million doses per month – much higher than the currently reported 55 million monthly doses, Public Citizen notes.

“The modest targets set by the administration itself seem unattainable this year, and it is shocking,” said Zain Rizvi, an expert on pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicines and author of the report.

White House officials declined to comment on the Kaiser analysis. But they noted Tuesday’s announcement and requests for funding to Congress and a plan to speed up The vaccine production announced by Mr. Biden last year as proof that the president is determined to do more.

vaccine Interest rates continue to fall in low-income countrieseven as a vaccine become more widely availablefor various reasons, such as vaccine hesitancy, lack of infrastructure and personnel to manage the shoots. Only 14 percent of the population of low-income countries received at least one dose of the vaccine. Our World in Data A project at Oxford University.





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