Aid groups call on Biden to develop plans to share COVID-19 vaccines

WASHINGTON >> A coalition of nongovernmental organizations is calling on President Joe Biden to immediately begin developing plans to share an expected surplus of hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses with the world, once U.S. demand for shots is met.

Biden has repeatedly said his primary focus is on ensuring all Americans can get vaccinated, and on Thursday he outlined a new goal to deliver 200 million doses cumulatively over his first 100 days in office. But with all adults set to be eligible for shots by May 1, and the U.S. set to have enough vaccine for its entire population by the end of July, Biden is being asked to facilitate the sharing of excess doses with the world — and to do so without putting strings on the injections or engaging in “vaccine diplomacy.”

In a letter to Biden sent Friday and obtained exclusively by The Associated Press, the groups — 30 NGOs including the ONE Campaign, the International Rescue Committee, Catholic Relief Services and Save the Children — call on Biden’s administration to commit to sharing excess doses through the World Health Organization-backed COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, facility.

“It is estimated that there could be twice as many deaths from COVID-19 if rich countries monopolize the first doses of vaccines instead of making sure they are distributed globally,” the groups write. “Vaccine hoarding could cost the global economy up to $9.2 trillion. Wealthy countries will bear half of those costs because of supply chain disruptions and demand shocks.”

They argue COVAX would ensure the vaccines are distributed in a way to “maximize equity.” Other countries, such as Russia, China and Israel, have sought to use vaccine sales to bolster their geopolitical positioning.

Biden has moved to have the U.S. contribute financially to the COVAX alliance, which will share vaccines with more than 90 lowerand middle-income nations, but the U.S. has yet to commit to sharing any doses. To date, Biden’s administration has only approved the export of about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is not authorized in the U.S. but is in use around the world, to Canada and Mexico.

In the coming months, the U.S. surplus is expected to reach into the hundreds of millions of doses, allowing for what the White House calls “flexibility” in responding to any shortfalls and future developments on the potential need for booster shots and vaccinating children.