Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Praises Biden Administration Agreement With Johnson & Johnson To Deliver COVID-19 Vaccines To Conflict Zones
“While a great deal of work remains to vaccinate the world, this agreement addresses a critical need among some of the world’s most vulnerable populations”
WASHINGTON – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, co-founder and co-chair of the COVID-19 Global Vaccination Caucus issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration's announcement of an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to provide COVID-19 vaccines to people living in conflict zones around the world while also pledging to increase American vaccine donation commitments:
"While the scale of the challenge of vaccinating the world remains enormous, this agreement addresses a crucial gap in the global COVID-19 response. Among those living in conflict zones, less than 2% have been vaccinated against COVID-19, a situation which further exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crises in these areas. I commend President Biden and Secretary Blinken for securing this commitment from Johnson & Johnson, and I strongly urge other vaccine manufacturers, like Moderna, to follow this example and prioritize the delivery of much needed vaccines to low- and lower-middle-income countries at non-profit prices as soon as possible."
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is one of the leading voices in Congress calling to expand the global access to COVID-19 vaccines. On June 8th, Congressman Krishnamoorthi introduced the NOVID Act, a detailed blueprint to invest $34 billion in global vaccine manufacturing and distribution to reach herd immunity in all 92 COVAX countries, with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). On August 4th, the above Members and Representative Malinowski penned a letter to President Biden, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with 116 Members of Congress requesting the NOVID Act provisions be included in any reconciliation package. On August 10th, 175 public health experts separately wrote to the President demanding that he act immediately to invest in global vaccination.