The United States will not be joining Covax (Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility)--a global organization whose goal is to speed up the development of vaccines, ensure all countries get access to them, and distribute them to high-risk populations. 170 countries are in talks to participate, including Japan, Germany, and the EU. Covax is an effort led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi--the vaccine alliance that the U.S. is a major supporter of. The United States' decision is in part because President Trump does not want to work with the WHO, and also in part because he believes that we will win the vaccine race. However, the article argues this could be problematic if we "lose" the race and are left without a vaccine or if we do "win" but hoard the vaccines because this could allow our economy to bounce back a bit, but without a global economic resurgence, we will still be unable to fully recover. This move is a major blow to our allies and the world, as it is a "go it alone" strategy at a time when global cooperation is in everyone's best interest.
By Claire Mikulcik
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