Congress discusses 'strategic opportunity' for US vaccines in MidEast
The House Foreign Affairs Committee's hearing Wednesday focused in part on the reputation of American COVID-19 vaccines in the Middle East versus Russian and Chinese ones.
Members of Congress discussed the potential for US coronavirus vaccines to be vehicles for soft power in the Middle East on Wednesday.
Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey referenced reports that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are offering booster shots of the US-made Pfizer vaccine to people who received China’s Sinopharm vaccine due to concerns about Sinopharm’s effectiveness.
“There is a growing understanding that there is a difference between these vaccines. The Pfizer, Moderna and J&J shots that we developed are the ones that people are relying on,” said Malinowski, making a reference to the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “I think there is an extraordinary strategic opportunity for the United States that we’re just beginning to take.”
The House Foreign Affairs Committee's hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa was hosted by the subcommittee for the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism.
