Jeremy Konyndyk, executive director of USAID's COVID task force, shares his perspective on the U.S.' efforts to donate and distribute vaccines to low-income nations.
The program called COVAX was set up to make sure that all countries have access to COVID vaccines. Two key public health figures talk about what went wrong — and how to fix it.
An open letter from 175 experts to President Biden made the ask. "We're not trying to be unreasonable," explains Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the signers. "We're trying to be optimistic and audacious."
The number of doses delivered so far puts the U.S. ahead of every other country making donations, but global health experts caution that many millions more are needed to vanquish the pandemic.
They have to figure out how to distribute the vaccines — and keep their citizens interested in getting their jab — without knowing when supplies will arrive.
The latest news about donated vaccines and cash aid for low-resource countries seems encouraging. But here's what vaccine experts are saying about supply and demand.
Mexico has reported more than 2.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 228,000 deaths as of Thursday. Targeting the shots toward tourist areas is a bid to boost the country's economy.
Oxford-AstraZeneca promised its COVID-19 vaccine would be effective, cheap and available worldwide. Five months after its launch, the path forward has been anything but smooth.
African nations had been counting on Serum Institute of India for nearly all their COVID vaccines. Now the company says it won't be sending any more for months. And African officials are scrambling.
President Biden said the U.S. is distributing them not to curry favor with allies, but to end the pandemic everywhere. And he's doing it through COVAX.
It's inspiring when a spirit of generosity goes global. But to fight this pandemic, well-off nations must do their part. That's why we think Biden's stand on vaccine patents is a vital step.
It's the first country to receive free vaccines from the COVAX program. But that shipment of 600,000 can't protect a nation of 30 million. And conspiracy theories about the vaccine are swirling.