President Joe Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will soon release $2 billion in initial funding to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a private-public partnership that combats disease in low-income countries.
Appropriated by Congress in the 2021 fiscal year spending package, the funds will be used to provide access to Covid-19 vaccines through the organization’s Covax Facility.
Although the Trump administration refused to participate in the international effort, lawmakers have committed a total of $4 billion to the program, which aims to provide equitable access to Covid vaccines throughout the world. The remaining $2 billion will be released by the Biden administration over the next two years as other donors fulfill their pledges to the organization.
Gavi was founded in 2000 as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Read more about the vaccine effort at the Gavi website.
