Story at a glance
- The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on the Biden administration to deliver an additional 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa.
- To date, 2.4 percent of the African population is vaccinated.
- The U.S. has delivered around 20 million doses to African nations so far, according to lawmakers.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are reportedly calling on the Biden administration to deliver an additional 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa, as the continent has vaccinated slightly more than 2 percent of its population.
“The longer it takes to vaccinate the world, the more variants we will see and the longer this pandemic will continue,” California Reps. Barbara Lee and Karen Bass, wrote in a letter to Biden, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The U.S. has delivered around 20 million doses to African nations so far, lawmakers said, per the AP.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS RIGHT NOW
STUDY SAYS NEW LAMBDA VARIANT COULD BE VACCINE-RESISTANT
AMERICAN ‘ARCHBISHOP’ IS DISTRIBUTING BLEACH AS ‘MIRACLE CURE’ FOR COVID-19
THE SIGNS YOU HAVE THE DELTA VARIANT ARE DIFFERENT THAN ORIGINAL COVID-19
EVIDENCE MOUNTS THAT DELTA VARIANT IS DANGEROUS FOR KIDS
THERE’S ONE KIND OF MASK THAT WON’T PROTECT YOU FROM THE DELTA VARIANT
World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti told reporters Tuesday that vaccinations are increasing, but reaching the organization’s goal of vaccinating 10 percent of the continent by the end of September is still a “daunting task,” according to the AP.
Moeti added that the 24 African nations are seeing a rise in cases, with more than 248,000 cases reported over the past week. To date, 2.4 percent of the African population is vaccinated.
“This is a preventable tragedy if African countries can get fair access to the vaccines,” Matshidiso Moeti told reporters.
Our country is in a historic fight against the coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
The news follows the Biden administration’s announcement the COVID-19 vaccine boosters would be made available to Americans beginning Sept. 20 — a decision that has drawn criticism from WHO leaders.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday called again for a vaccine moratorium at least until the end of September, adding that “vaccine injustice and vaccine nationalism” increase the possibility of a more dangerous variant emerging.
“The virus will get the chance to circulate in countries with low vaccination coverage, and the delta variant could evolve to become more virulent, and at the same time more potent variants could also emerge,” he said.
President Biden, upon announcing his booster shot plan, said that it is possible to take care of American’s and “help the world at the same time.”
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
NEW POLL DISCOVERS WHO AMERICANS BLAME FOR CURRENT COVID-19 SURGE
TRUMP SLAMMED BY HIS OWN FORMER HHS SECRETARY OVER PRIVATE VACCINATION
‘THE WAR HAS CHANGED’: CDC DOCUMENT WARNS DELTA VARIANT MORE SEVERE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAMBDA CORONAVIRUS VARIANT
SOME AMERICANS ARE GETTING VACCINATED SECRETLY BECAUSE THEY FEAR BACKLASH
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
