Global COVID Summit: President Joe Biden announces sharing of US Covid-19 technologies
May 12, 2022
Washington [US], May 12 : President Joe Biden announced that the US will share the critical Covid technologies through the World Health Organisation Covid-19 technologies access pool.
"Today I am announcing that the US will share critical Covid technologies through the World Health Organisation Covid-19 technological access pool. We are making available the health technology that is owned by the US government including stabilized spike protein, which was used in many Covid-19 vaccines," US President said while chairing the Global COVID Virtual Summit.
The United States as the first COVID Summit Chair, Belize, as CARICOM Chair; Germany, holding the G7 Presidency; Indonesia, holding the G20 Presidency; and Senegal as African Union Chair, are co-hosting the second Global COVID-19 Summit.
US President said that USD 450 million seed funding for pandemic preparedness and global health security fund to be established this summer.
In the virtual summit, Biden said, "The US has provided more than USD19 billion to help countries fight Covid-19, life-saving medicines, oxygen, tests, equipment, supplies, and partnered with countries to improve their capacity to manufacture vaccines.
He also said that the US has delivered over 500 million vaccines to 115 countries and further stated that they will continue to deliver another 500 million doses, all parts of the pledge, they made to donate 1 billion vaccines.
Later in the summit, US Vice-President Kamala Harris also joined them and marked an imminent "tragic milestone" of 1 million deaths in the US.
Harris said that they have called upon Congress to take urgent action to provide emergency Covid-19 funding. She further said that there is a need for USD 22.5 billion.
"The request also includes USD 5 billion to keep up our global partnership in the fight against Covid-19 and sustain our efforts to get shots in people around the world, expand access to treatments and save lives everywhere," Harris added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the second Global COVID Virtual Summit at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.
The summit intends to galvanize new actions to address the continued challenges of the COVID pandemic and build a stronger global health security architecture.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister will deliver his remarks in the opening session of the summit on the theme 'Preventing Pandemic Fatigue and Prioritizing Preparedness'.
PM Modi had also participated in the first Global COVID virtual Summit hosted by Biden in September 2021.
