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White House announces US will not participate in WHO’S International COVID-19 vaccine initiative

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PHOTO CREDITS: AP

According to the White House Tuesday, the United States will not participate in the international effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine with the World Health Organization (WHO). ~

White House spokesperson Judd Deere explained the reasoning behind this decision, “We will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China.” The US formally withdrew from the WHO in July 2020 with President Donald Trump claiming it caved to pressure from China “to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities” and that it’s under the “total control” of China (NPR). The withdrawal will officially take place in July 2021. ~

The US plans to continue its own testing to find a vaccine for the Coronavirus in order to ensure it is up to the FDA’s standards. Deere said, “This President will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own FDA’s gold standard for safety and efficacy, is thoroughly tested and saves lives” (CNN). This decision comes as the White House continues to put faith in Operation Warp Speed: the federal government’s effort to speed the development of drugs, vaccines, and other measures to fight the Coronavirus pandemic. Two COVID-19 vaccines are in Phase 3 trials in the US — made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech — and two more are expected to begin Phase 3 trials by mid-September. Deere claimed, “Under President Trump’s leadership, vaccine and therapeutic research, development, and trials have advanced at unprecedented speed to deliver groundbreaking, effective medicines driven by data and safety and not held back by government red tape,” (New York Post). Furthermore, the CDC announced Tuesday it is advising states to plan for potential vaccine distribution towards the end of October. ~

Although the US has decided to remain isolated from the COVAX initiative involving more than 170 countries and the WHO, the US will continue to work with other countries to ensure a vaccine is developed soon. Deere explained that “The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus,” (U.S. News). ~

ARTICLE: KYLE SMITH 

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