Through an amendment (H.R. 4350) to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed last week, U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) guaranteed a new federal study for the logistics of distributing COVID-19 doses abroad and ensuring vaccine access.
“Expanding worldwide access to COVID-19 vaccines is central to ending the pandemic,” Smith said. “This amendment will take important steps towards slowing the spread of this virus, allowing the United States to improve COVID-19 vaccine access for low- and middle-income countries, and leading the world out of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The amendment specifically required two measures:
- A Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-led study to identify the logistical needs for collecting unused and unexpired COVID-19 doses. The U.S. government seeks to collect these doses domestically and then distribute them to foreign countries in need.
- Studies into options and methods for collecting and shipping these doses, how to guarantee appropriate storage and handling of deliveries, the capacity for foreign governments to distribute and administer doses, as well as the minimum supply of doses the U.S. needs to keep in stock.
“Increasing global access to the COVID vaccine is vital to U.S. economic and national security,” Cassidy said. “Our amendment ensures the United States is at the forefront of global vaccine distribution and supply.”
With the enactment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must consult other agency heads and submit a report on study results to appropriate congressional committees within 180 days.
The amendment’s authors hope that these efforts will reduce supply chain barriers and increase the efficiency of vaccine distribution abroad.