It is unclear when the meeting will take place, as White House officers are still planning details of the meeting. One of the top U.S. officials said the event could occur in May.
“While it is true that Russia’s actions delayed the summit, our focus on the global response is not diminishing,” a senior POLITICO administration official said. The official denied that the global dispute over the financing of Covid-19 impacted the summit’s planning. “We continue to urge Congress to act urgently to support our global Covid-19 response, and we urge all countries and supporters to make commitments to do more.”
At Biden’s first vaccine conference in September 2021, he called on countries to spend more resources to help increase vaccination rates worldwide. At the meeting, the United States pledged to donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and hundreds of millions of dollars to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
While the administration has fulfilled its commitment to deliver Pfizer-BioNTech doses, Congress this week failed to approve additional funding for USAID to help the agency support it. A new program will help increase vaccination rates in 11 low-income African countries by 2022. The agency initially requested approximately $ 19 billion in additional funding.
The administration is expected to receive additional announcements at the event, including funding for distributing vaccinations and therapies and assisting in strengthening health systems in low-income countries.
The delay comes as the global healthcare community discusses how to overcome Covid-19. Many countries, including the United States, have begun to move past the emergency phase of the pandemic and have eased public health restrictions such as indoor mask mandates and quarantine measures.
Facial masks were stacked at a plant in Mexico City on May 21, 2020. | Fernando Lano / AP Photo
Omicron sub-variant BA.2 extends to other regions, causing cases and hospitalization in Europe, China, and Hong Kong. And Biden administration health officials are preparing for possible growth in the U.S. this spring.
Meanwhile, millions of people worldwide have yet to receive their first shots. The World Health Organization still supports its 2021 goal of vaccinating 70 percent of all countries by mid-year, even though most global health organizations have realized that the promise will likely be fulfilled. By July, many are now focusing on vaccinating 90 percent of the vulnerable population in all countries.
At last year’s international Covid summit, the Biden government made a similar promise to WHO – that it would help introduce 70 percent of all countries by September 2022. Now he is rethinking whether to concentrate on vaccinating the vulnerable, a high-ranking American official. And one of the people said.
“For our part, we continue to implement this [70 percent] goal, “said a senior administration official, adding that the United States was also working to prioritize vulnerable populations.
The meeting, which Germany is co-hosting, was set to occur in March, and then it was pushed to April behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Because the government was still working with Congress to ensure additional funding to help facilitate Covid-19 vaccinations for millions of individuals in low- and middle-income countries, the people said. Congress eliminated $5 billion in global Covid-19 grants from a more general coronavirus package.
Now, it’s unclear when the meeting will take home as White House officials are still planning the meeting details. One senior U.S. official said the possibility could take place in May.
“While it is true that Russia’s actions have delayed the summit, our focus on the global reaction is not diminished,” a senior government official told POLITICO in a comment. The official rejected that the global Covid-19 funding dispute affected the scheduling of the summit. “We continue to ask Congress to act urgently to fund our international Covid-19 response, and we are asking all governments and partners to make promises to do more.”
While the administration has pursued through on its commitment to deliver the Pfizer-BioNTech doses, Congress this week fell to approve additional funding for USAID that would have helped the agency support its new program to help ramp up vaccination rates in 11 low-income countries in Africa through 2022. The agency initially requested close to $19 billion in additional budget.
The administration is expected to make further announcements at the event, including helping to finance the distribution of vaccinations and therapeutics and helping to strengthen health systems in low-income countries.
The delay comes as the global health community debates how best to tackle Covid-19. Many countries, including the U.S., have begun to move on from the pandemic’s emergency phase and have relaxed public health restrictions such as indoor mask mandates and quarantine measures.
