WASHINGTON (June 9, 2021) After chiding the Biden Administration last week for announcing donation of 25 million COVD-19 vaccine doses (of a planned 80 million dose donation) to poor countries as ‘too little, too late,’ AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today pivots to commend President Biden and his administration on its announcement of plans to purchase 500 million doses of Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to donate and share with hard-hit, resource poor countries in an effort to derail the global pandemic.
“This latest US donation to the world is simply great news. We salute President Biden and his administration for really stepping up this week on the global fight against COVID-19, particularly as G7 countries and representatives prepare to meet in Cornwall, United Kingdom,” said Michael Weinstein, president of AHF. “Biden’s move sets a high benchmark and serves as example to many G7 and other wealthy countries that have been hoarding their surplus vaccine doses. We urge wealthy countries, particularly G7 members Germany, France, Canada and the UK—which have been both stockpiling supply and slow in sharing—to follow suit and secure or donate surplus vaccine to poor countries around the globe.”
“While generous, President Biden’s decision to secure 500 million vaccine doses for the world cannot be seen only as charity,” added Dr. Jorge Saavedra, executive director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute at the University of Miami. “Biden’s move is also in the economic best interest of the US and other wealthy countries, as tourism to the US and Europe has fallen dramatically. It is also in the self-interest of the US and other wealthy countries which have had far more success getting their COVID-19 epidemics under control. Until we have the global pandemic fully under control, no one, or no one country, is truly safe.”
