Biden addresses UN, touts global vaccine donations
President Joe Biden kicked off his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly since taking office by focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, the global death toll and the need to "act together."
"Will we work together to save lives, defeat COVID-19 everywhere and take the necessary steps to prepare ourselves for the next pandemic, if there will be another one? Or will we fail to harness the tools at our disposal as the dangerous variants take hold?" Biden said Tuesday.
"To fight this pandemic, we need a collective act of science and political will. We need to act now to get shots in arms as fast as possible. Expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments, to save lives around the world," he said. "And for the future, we need to create a new mechanism to finance global health security."
The president touted global vaccine donations, saying the U.S. has sent more than 160 million doses to 100 other countries.
Biden said he would announce "additional commitments" at Wednesday's virtual COVID-19 summit.
-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez