Our nation has reached a pivotal moment in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the United States and other western nations begin to turn the page toward a sense of normalcy, the grim reality is that many other countries continue to be ravaged by this disease. As leaders, we cannot afford to ignore the sincere outcry from those around the world who do not yet have access to a vaccination against COVID-19. The rampant prevalence of the virus in low and middle-income countries means that the world will never truly be free from COVID-19, regardless of our desire to leave the pandemic behind.

It is now time for the United States to take bold action and lead the way in prioritizing the availability of and access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries and communities around the world. The Biden administration has done an admirable job in providing COVID-19 global relief and aid, including the commitment this week to provide 100 million pediatric doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to populations who remain vulnerable to the virus. But, there is still so much more to be done.

In December 2021, CORBEVAX™ — the first low-cost, patent-free, high-efficacy COVID-19 vaccine created at Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development was granted Emergency Use Authorization in India. Since then, over 30 million doses of CORBEVAX™ have been administered in children across India, with an estimated 500,000 doses distributed each day. And just last month, the vaccine was also approved in Africa, where more than 100 million doses have been deployed for use.

When we set out to create the CORBEVAX™ vaccine, we had a common goal in mind — to develop an effective, low-cost vaccine that would help countries beyond our own borders overcome COVID-19. We are all immensely proud of this vaccine and firmly believe in its ability to fill the access gaps created by more expensive, mRNA vaccine technologies that are still not able to be quickly scaled for global production.

With Congress’ support, we are prepared, ready and willing to walk together with national and global leaders to vaccinate millions of children throughout our global community. However, Congress must make an additional investment in the United States’ global COVID-19 vaccine efforts, especially in low and middle-income countries. As members of Congress return from recess and continue to negotiate additional COVID-19 funding this week, it is crucial that global COVID-19 funding be added back into the supplemental COVID-19 funding bill.

Given the depth and breadth of the virus’s reach across the world, the reality brings us to this point — the current funding is simply not enough. Turning a blind eye to the needs of our global community right now will jeopardize all of the progress made toward eradicating this disease, both in the United States and around the world. The CORBEVAX™ technology is working and has already made a meaningful impact in the fight against COVID-19 in India and has the potential to impact millions more in Africa. Only with global vaccination will we truly be able to eradicate COVID-19.