On Tuesday, the Trump administration said it will not join a global cooperative effort to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine because of the involvement of multilateral groups, such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
The decision, first reported by The Washington Post, comes after the White House’s decision in early July to withdraw the United States from the WHO.
President Donald Trump has claimed that the WHO is in need of reform and is heavily China-centric.
More than 150 nations have set up the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX).
That global cooperative effort, which also includes the WHO, would allow countries to take advantage of potential vaccines, ensuring their citizens are quickly covered by the ones that are deemed safe and effective.
The WHO said the governments making deals with individual vaccine makers would benefit from joining COVAX. That’s because it would offer a backup in case the vaccines fail to work.
A White House spokesperson Judd Deere said, “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 influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China.”
“This president will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own Food and Drug Administration’s gold standard for safety and efficacy, is thoroughly tested and saves lives,” he added.
Rep. Dr. Ami Bera said the administration’s decision has been shortsighted and will hamper the fight against the ongoing pandemic.
Dr. Bera tweeted, “Joining COVAX is a simple measure to guarantee U.S. access to a vaccine — no matter who develops it first. This go-it-alone approach leaves America at risk of not getting a vaccine.”
The administration’s move, including withdrawal from the WHO, means the nation is giving America’s global leadership up in combating pandemics, said Tom Hart, the North American Executive Director of ONE Campaign.
Hart said, “Not only does this move put the lives of millions around the world at risk, it could completely isolate Americans from an effective vaccine against COVID-19.”
A handful of coronavirus vaccine candidates are in their late-stage clinical trials, meaning they will be assessed of their safety and efficacy.
On Monday, AstraZeneca announced its experimental vaccine has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. Vaccine candidates of Moderna and Pfizer are already into the Phase III clinical trials, with results expected by the fall.
