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Canada needs more help with COVID-19, prominent U.S. vaccine expert urges White House

Pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden to go beyond sharing a growing surplus of the AstraZeneca vaccine
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President Joe Biden speaks at Tidewater Community College, Monday, May 3, 2021, in Portsmouth, Va. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Evan Vucci

A prominent Texas doctor is urging the United States to do more to help Canadians get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dr. Peter Hotez, a familiar face to cable news viewers in both countries, says the U.S. has a moral obligation to expand vaccination beyond its borders, including in Canada.

Hotez, a vaccine expert and dean of the school of tropical medicine at Baylor University in Houston, says Canada is just 10 per cent of the entire U.S. population — most of them living near the border.

He says he was taken aback by the overwhelming response from Canadians when he made the call on Twitter over the weekend.

Pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden to go beyond sharing a growing surplus of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is approved for use in Canada but not the U.S.

Advocates want certain World Trade Organization limits on intellectual property eased so developing countries might be better able to develop and manufacture vaccines.

READ MORE: Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine can be given to adults 30+ who can’t wait for mRNA

The Canadian Press


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