US, wealthy nations facing a great moral challenge: New York Times

NEW DELHI: The US and the rest of the world's wealthiest nations are facing a great moral challenge, The New York Times Editorial Board said."The United States is well on its way to protecting Americans from the coronavirus. It's time to help the rest of the world.

By marshalling this nation's vast resources to produce and distribute enough vaccines to meet global demand, the United States would act in keeping with the nation's best traditions and highest aspirations while advancing its geopolitical and economic interests. It is a moment of both obligation and opportunity", the editorial said. It criticised the Joe Biden administration for insufficient steps.

\"Unfortunately, instead of a bold, comprehensive strategy to vaccinate the world as quickly as possible, the Biden administration has thus far made a string of tactical decisions: donating millions of doses to countries in need, signalling its support for patent waivers that might expedite vaccine production efforts and nudging two companies — Merck and Johnson & Johnson — to collaborate on increasing supply," it said. "These are good steps, but they are not nearly sufficient to meet the moment.

The United States and the rest of the world's wealthiest nations are facing a great moral challenge," it added. NYT said President Joe Biden can start by announcing that the US intends to help and by appointing a vaccine czar to oversee the expansion of vaccine production. The federal government has ample legal power to compel the participation of the pharmaceutical companies, including the sharing of critical information and technologies. Congress has appropriated $16 billion to scale up production, most of which remains unspent.

Covax, the World Health Organisation's initiative to pool vaccine resources, remains profoundly underfunded and has failed to meet even its modest target of vaccinating one-fifth of the population in the Global South, it said. (IANS)

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