US President Joe Biden said on the 21st of the local time, saying that it is not enough to send the US-owned COVID-19 vaccine to other countries, and that he hopes to do so in the future.
Shortly after speaking at the White House, President Biden said to reporters' questions about sharing vaccines abroad, "we're looking at what to do with some of the vaccines we don't use."
These comments came as many countries, including Korea, are in an emergency in securing vaccines, and they are asking for help from the United States, which has the most vaccines.
President Biden introduced the conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the day and said, "There are other countries, such as Central America, that we are confident that we can help."
However, he added, "It's not enough to be sure that we are sending the vaccine abroad now, but we look forward to it.
Earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eui-yong Eui-yong attended the National Assembly's Foreign Relations Committee on the 20th and said that he was discussing with the United States the concept of ``vaccine swap,'' which is the concept of receiving vaccines and paying back later.
The US government last month decided to provide 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in stock to neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet been approved for emergency use in the United States.
(Photo = Getty Image Korea)