President Joe Biden Predicts a Second Pandemic Could Hit the World
At that time he praised his government's efforts to ensure that children under five could get the Covid-19 vaccine. Biden also praised it as a "very historic milestone" that the US had become the first country in the world to offer a "safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old."
When asked about how long the government could sustain the new vaccine campaign, Biden stated, "The current budget will be enough to get through at least this year." But he stressed, "We do need more money."
He went on to insist that he needed more money for an unspecified "second pandemic". “We need more money to plan for a second pandemic. There will be another pandemic," the president warned, without elaborating what might happen in the new wave.
Biden also took the opportunity to lash out at his predecessor, Donald Trump. According to Biden, Donald Trump's lack of preparation is increasing the impact of the Covid pandemic. “We have to think ahead. It's not something the last outfit did very well and it's something we've done pretty well. That's why we need the money," Biden said.
Several health experts and institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) have also warned of a possible future pandemic. The WHO had previously announced they were planning to confirm a global pandemic agreement at the 2024 World Health Assembly.
WHO hopes it will help establish the goals and basic principles for crafting the collective action needed to combat the pandemic. The agreement, which focuses heavily on improving surveillance, vaccination and restoring confidence in the international health system, would be legally binding on its members under international law.
The agreement will replace individual country regulations in an effort to get all countries to act as one in the face of future outbreaks.