WASHINGTON, Sunday, March 28, 2021 (WAFA) – A coalition of nongovernmental organizations has urged US President Joe Biden to immediately begin developing plans to share an expected surplus of hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses with the rest of the world, once US demand for the vaccine is met.

In a letter to Biden sent Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, thirty NGOs – which include the ONE Campaign, the International Rescue Committee, the Catholic Relief Services and Save the Children — called on Biden's administration to commit to sharing excess doses through the World Health Organization-backed COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX.

“It is estimated that there could be twice as many deaths from COVID-19 if rich countries monopolize the first doses of vaccines instead of making sure they are distributed globally,” the groups wrote. "Vaccine hoarding could cost the global economy up to $9.2 trillion. Wealthy countries will bear half of those costs because of supply chain disruptions and demand shocks."

The NGOs also urged the Biden administration to preempt any contractual or legal issues that US manufacturers would have in sharing vaccines with the world and to outline a delivery schedule when COVAX could begin to distribute US-produced doses. They called on drug companies to share manufacturing expertise and for the Biden administration to support the availability of raw materials for vaccines for doses to be distributed by COVAX.

Currently, all vaccines produced in the US are claimed by the federal government under the terms of contracts signed by the manufacturers and the government.

"Given the optimistic outlook for vaccinating most Americans in the next few months and the huge number of excess doses the U.S. has in its pipeline, the US is uniquely positioned to accelerate the global response to the pandemic by sharing vaccines," the groups said.

M.N