US Will Not Join WHO Effort to Develop Global COVID-19 Vaccine - Reports
The Trump administration will not join a global program to develop a new COVID-19 vaccine in part because it is led by the World Health Organization, media reported on Tuesday.
“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”, White House spokesman Judd Deere said, as quoted by Washington Post.
More than 170 countries are holding discussions to set up a COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility to accelerate the development and testing of a new vaccine and manufacture and deliver it to the most at-risk sectors in every nation, the news outlet said.
The plan is spearheaded by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the Gavi vaccine alliance and it is supported by Japan and Germany and the European Commission, Washington Post added.
Washington pulled out of the WHO earlier this year after claiming the body helped China conceal information about the origins of COVID-19.
The WHO said its 30 January emergency declaration gave the United States sufficient time to prepare while Beijing has said it has been transparent about the details of the virus's origins.
- Source : Sputniknews.com
