WASHINGTON: A US panel on Friday recommended Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose Covid-19 shot for emergency approval, as some of the world’s most powerful countries issued a unified call for better vaccine access for poorer nations.
The United States is the world’s hardest-hit country, and its emergency use authorisation — which is now expected shortly — of the J&J vaccine would follow those for the Pfizer and Moderna doses.
“We’re going to use every conceivable way to expand manufacturing of the vaccine... and make even more rapid progress,” said President Joe Biden as the country tries to finally get on top of the virus that has already claimed 510,000 US lives.
J&J stressed its vaccine was proven to work with a single shot, and could be stored long-term at standard fridge temperatures, which “offers logistical and practical advantages.”
As inoculation campaigns ramp up in wealthier nations, there was unanimous support for a resolution at the UN Security Council calling for improved access to vaccines in conflict-hit and impoverished countries.
In a rare gesture, it was co-sponsored by all 15 members of the council, diplomats said, and required just a week of negotiations to draft.
“We are all facing the same threat, the same pandemic, and international cooperation and multilateral action is needed,” one diplomat said.
But Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, reacted by saying richer countries must waive intellectual property rights on vaccines so more manufacturers can start production. The idea is fiercely opposed by many wealthy countries and the pharmaceutical industry.
Another diplomatic gathering on Friday looked further ahead, with G20 countries discussing post-pandemic economic recovery in a video conference.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has signalled openness to new assistance to less developed countries through the International Monetary Fund.
Also in Washington, Democratic leaders expressed confidence that Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief package would pass the House of Representatives overnight on Friday.
The bill — which will still need to pass in the Senate — is on track to be the second-largest US stimulus ever, after the $2 trillion package that Donald Trump signed into law last March to help the coronavirus-battered economy. — AFP
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