The United States will share its purchased corona vaccines with other countries once its own population has been vaccinated. “The virus cannot be stopped by a fence, no matter how high that fence or wall is,” said President Biden. “So we won’t be safe until the whole world is safe.”
The president wants to take care of his own people first. “Then we can try to help the rest of the world.” He added that the US has already put $ 4 billion into the Covax program. With this initiative of, among others, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international organization Gavi, 92 poorer countries will have access to donated vaccines.
Biden took the floor after the announcement that the US will purchase more vaccines from Leiden pharmaceutical company Janssen. A total of 100 million extra doses are bought from the pharmaceutical company. One dose of that vaccine, which was approved by the American regulator at the end of last month, is enough. Other vaccines require two injections. Biden wants all 260 million American adults to be vaccinated by May.
Corona support package
Before Biden made his statements, the US House of Representatives again approved the $ 1.9 trillion corona support package that Biden had presented as expected. The vote in the House, which is dominated by the Democrats, was 100 percent along party lines. All Republican delegates voted against.
Now that the House has approved the package for the second time, the Biden administration can get to work on it. An important part of it is a one-time payment of 1,400 dollars for most Americans. The states also receive a total of 350 billion dollars in aid. In addition, more money is going to the distribution of vaccines.
528,000 dead
House Democrats called the bill a vital response to a pandemic that has already killed more than 528,000 people in the US and cost millions of their jobs. Republicans, on the other hand, said the bailout package costs too much money and is full of wasteful progressive plans.
The second House vote was necessary because the Senate had called for changes to the original version. President Biden plans to sign the bill tomorrow.