The 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit takes place in May

The global COVID-19 summit was originally scheduled to take place in March and is now scheduled for May 12 in an online format, the New York Times reported.

“The emergence and spread of new variants such as Omicron has reinforced the need for a strategy to control COVID-19 worldwide” – The White House stated in the communiqué of the global COVID-19 summit in May. Along with the United States, the summit is co-hosted by Belize, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal.

About 16% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while in high- and upper-middle-income countries the figure is 80%, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. Production problems, export bans and vaccine hoarding by rich nations further widen the gap.

According to the White House, the summit in May will follow the themes of the first summit held last September. Those topics include logistics operations to get vaccines to the vaccinated population; testing and treatment for high-risk groups; improve vaccine production capacity locally and regionally; and increase the number of public health workers.

Efforts to subsidize universal vaccinations have stalled in the United States after lawmakers withdrew $5 billion from a pandemic relief package that is expected to be put to a vote in the US Senate in the coming weeks.

This month, when lawmakers announced an agreement on a $10 billion COVID-19 aid package focused on domestic COVID-19 testing, vaccination and treatment, lawmakers rejected the effort. of the Biden administration and several members of Congress on reinforcing America’s commitment to the global COVID-19 response.

Republicans require that any new aid be funded in part by reusing previously approved but unused COVID-19 relief funds.

Federal health officials America The decision could have major consequences for efforts to quell waves of new variation around the world.