With the spread of the Omicron variant appearing to be on the wane, the Biden administration should accelerate its efforts to vaccinate the developing world, where the virus could further mutate and produce yet more contagious variants. Over the long term, the United States and other Western countries should help poor countries develop their own capacity for manufacturing vaccines so that if another pandemic occurs, they will not be “left behind,” putting the rest of the world at risk. The efficacy of Western-produced mRNA vaccines over Chinese vaccines creates an ideal opportunity for the United States to rebuild its soft power by leading a campaign to inoculate almost half of the world’s population that remains unvaccinated.

Read the full paper at the Atlantic Council.