Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke late yesterday with Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, European Union Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. Joined by Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, Loyce Pace, and the Office of Global Affairs’ Director of the Europe Eurasia region, Peter Schmeissner, the Secretary conveyed his appreciation on behalf of the United States government to the European Union for their leadership in the COVID-19 response. The Secretary reaffirmed the U.S. whole-of-government support to responding aggressively to the pandemic this year.
The Secretary thanked Commissioner Kyriakides for the longstanding partnership with the United States and the European Union in health, and he and the Commissioner discussed mutual global health priorities, including measures to help contain spread of Omicron, global COVID-19 vaccine sharing, and vaccine hesitancy. They look forward to continued collaboration related to response to the pandemic, preparedness for future health emergencies, and broader health issues.
