US Not Participating with 170 WHO Countries in Vaccine Development
The Trump Administration said the US will not be participating in the WHO-led global cooperative effort to develop and distribute an effective vaccine against COVID-19. The White House has called the organization “corrupt” and accused it of aiding China in covering up the extent of the pandemic early on.
As a result of this refusal, the administration is leaving the US out of the wider COVID-19 dialogue with 170 other countries – who are working together under the COVAX initiative. The COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility’s objective is to work cooperatively and allow equal access to worldwide manufacturers who are working to provide effective and safe vaccines. Co-led by the World Health Organization, partnering organizations also include GAVI, a vaccine alliance coalition, as well as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
The US effort to develop a safe and effective vaccine is likely month’s away, if not longer, before broad distribution can be authorized. More than 6 million Americans have been infected since the onset of the pandemic. Out of the 858,000 worldwide deaths, 185,000 Americans have died – ranking the US among the top countries with the highest COVID-19 mortality rate.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.