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WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will not work with an international cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be limited by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization.
The decision to act alone, first reported by The Washington Post, follows the White House decision in early July to remove the United States from the WHO. Trump claims that the WHO needs reform and is heavily influenced by China.
Some nations have worked directly to secure vaccine supplies, but others are joining forces to ensure success against a disease that has no geographic borders. More than 150 countries are establishing the Center for Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines, or COVAX.
That cooperative effort, linked with the WHO, would allow nations to tap into a portfolio of potential vaccines to ensure their citizens are quickly covered by those deemed effective. The WHO says that even governments that do deals with individual vaccine manufacturers would benefit from joining COVAX because it would provide backup vaccines in case those made through bilateral agreements with manufacturers are unsuccessful.
“The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure that we defeat this virus, but we will not be limited by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China,” said White House spokesman Judd Deere. “This president will forgive no expense to ensure that any new vaccine upholds our own Food and Drug Administration’s gold standard for safety and efficacy, is thoroughly tested, and saves lives.”
Rep. Ami Bera, a Democrat from California, said the administration’s decision was shortsighted and will hamper the battle to end the pandemic.
“Joining COVAX is a simple measure to ensure US access to a vaccine, no matter who develops it first,” tweeted Bera, a physician. “This go-alone approach leaves the United States at risk of not getting a vaccine.”
The administration’s decision, coupled with the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO, means the United States is relinquishing US global leadership in the fight against pandemics, according to Tom Hart, North America director of The ONE Campaign, an advocacy organization co-founded by rock band Bono. U2.
“This measure not only puts the lives of millions of people around the world at risk, but it could completely isolate Americans from an effective COVID-19 vaccine,” Hart said.
A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human trials have reached the last and greatest hurdle: seeking the necessary proof that they actually work.
AstraZeneca announced Monday that its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing phase in the United States. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults of various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.
Two other candidate vaccines began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech of Germany. .
