On Friday, President Joe Biden announced his goal of donating 500 million doses of the CIVID-19 vaccine and distributing them to 50 countries in 2022.
This vaccine donation program is aimed at lower-income, as well as African Union, countries. The vaccines will be distributed through the Covax program, which was created in 2020 to ensure fair access to the vaccine.
Biden announced this goal during a trip to the UK, which marked the start of his first foreign trip as president.
Shortly before boarding Air Force One, Biden confirmed that he had a vaccination strategy for the world: “I have one, and I’ll be announcing it.” This news comes amidst pressure for the U.S. to raise vaccination rates in poor countries, which so far have received just about 1% of vaccine doses.
When Biden landed at the RAF Mildenhall airbase in Suffolk, England, he paid tribute to the U.S. military families stationed at the base.
He also praised “like-minded nations,” and stated that “the United States is back!”
“Democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future,” he said.
During his eight-day trip, Biden met Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the first time. He also met Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle.
Biden has said that this trip across the Atlantic is about “America rallying the world’s democracies.”
He will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the tail end of his trip.
