US donation of 500 million COVID vaccine doses a 'historic step': Joe Biden
US President Joe Biden on Thursday promised to donate 500 million doses of vaccine to bolster the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic across the world.
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FollowPresident Joe Biden on Thursday called a US donation of 500 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries a "historic step" in the fight against the global pandemic.
"This is about our responsibility, our humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can," Biden said while speaking to reporters on the eve of the G7 summit in Cornwall, southwest England, adding it was also in the US interest because of the risk of variants.
Taking to Twitter, Biden said, "Today, I'm announcing that the United States will donate half a billion new Pfizer vaccines to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries."
"These Pfizer vaccines will save millions of lives around the world, and be produced through the power of American manufacturing," he said.
He also said that the Group of Seven (G7) nations will join US Friday in announcing global vaccine donations in the aim to end pandemic.
Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has said that donating 500 million doses of anti-coronavirus vaccine to the world, as promised by President Joe Biden, was not enough and the United States should do more in the global fight against the pandemic.
"While I'm glad the US will purchase 500 million doses to support global inoculation efforts with 200 million doses to be given by the end of 2021, that is not enough. This must be only the first step in a larger effort to expand and accelerate production and delivery of the billions of doses we need to end the pandemic," Krishnamoorthi said.
"Expanding global vaccination efforts is imperative for national security when the greatest threat to the success of our pandemic recovery is the emergence of new Covid-19 variants in countries facing outbreaks. Fighting that threat requires that we produce and administer as many jabs as possible as quickly as possible to limit the time and opportunities for the virus to mutate into more dangerous and even vaccine-resistant forms," he said.
Later, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the G7 nations are set to commit to providing at least 1 billion coronavirus shots to the rest of the world.
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