Fauci confirms that Biden will remain in the WHO and join its vaccine scheme, COVAX, which Trump claimed was 'China-centric' and refused to be a part of
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- President Joe Biden's administration has confirmed that the US will remain a part of the World Health Organization (WHO) and rejoin its vaccine distribution scheme, COVAX.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical advisor, made the announcement Thursday.
- Former President Donald Trump cut ties with the WHO in May 2020 and refused to join COVAX, a scheme that ensures equal distribution of shots.
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President Joe Biden will remain in the World Health Organisation (WHO) and join the group's COVAX scheme, a global initiative that aims to ensure equal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Former US President Donald Trump cut ties with the WHO in May 2020, calling the group "China-centric," and the US was officially set to leave in July 2021. Trump cited the same reasons for refusing to join COVAX.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Thursday that the US would now reinstate payments to the WHO, and that government personnel would resume "regular engagement."
It would also sign up to the COVAX programme to "advance multilateral efforts" to ensure fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments Fauci, Biden's chief medical advisor, said Thursday.
He was speaking during a video conference with the WHO's executive board.
Fauci offered support for a "robust and clear" international inquiry into the origins of the pandemic, such as the investigation the WHO is conducting in China.
"It is imperative that we learn and build on important lessons about how future pandemic events can be averted," Fauci said. "We look forward to evaluating it."
Anthony Blinken, Biden's nominee for secretary of state, initially announced the planned moves Tuesday at his confirmation hearing.
Speaking about re-joining COVAX, he said that the Biden administration believed strongly that they can both ensure every American gets the vaccine and help others around the world get access.
Read more: What's coming next for COVID-19 vaccines? Here's the latest on 11 leading programs
COVAX is a voluntary scheme that was launched by the WHO, Gavi vaccine alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in April 200. It plans to distribute 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses worldwide by the end of 2021.
The WHO said Monday, however, that certain countries and companies who had promised equitable access by signing up to COVAX have gone around the scheme, putting themselves first and in doing so driving up prices.
The world is "on the brink of catastrophic moral failure" by failing to give vaccines to poorer countries, the head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday. He welcomed the US back on Thursday.
"This is a good day for the WHO and a good day for global health," Ghebreyesus said. "[The US'] global role is very, very crucial."
Biden said in his $1.9 trillion "American Rescue Plan" Thursday that he intended to work with the rest of the world, noting that the US wouldn't be protected from COVID-19 without a collaborative response. But he did not mention remaining part of the WHO or joining COVAX specifically.
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