U.S. urges all WTO members to support intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines

FILE PHOTO: President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Raphael W. Bostic speaks at a European Financial Forum event in Dublin, Ireland February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Thursday called on all World Trade Organization members to support an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines.

"We ... need every WTO member to step up as well and support an intellectual property waiver, and every company must act ambitiously and urgently to expand manufacturing now," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.