Biden Administration To Join COVAX Global Vaccination Alliance

President-elect Joe Biden is set to join the World Health Organization-led COVAX initiative that supports the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle-income households worldwide.

U.S. Secretary of State designee, Antony Bliken, said Tuesday that the Biden administration fully supports the effort to help less privileged countries get access to effective coronavirus vaccines.

"We believe strongly that we can ensure that every American gets the vaccine, but also help make sure that others around the world who want it have access to it," Bliken said during a confirmation hearing.

Late last year, the Trump administration declined to join the initiative. President Donald Trump has criticized the WHO for what he said was a slow pace to declare the coronavirus a pandemic. Trump's decision to not be involved in the alliance has sparked global criticism from politicians and public health experts.

COVAX is an international project to deliver safe and effective vaccines to the world's poorest to cover at least two billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021. COVAX will start rolling-out vaccines to poor and middle-income countries in February.