As countries begin to face an increase in COVID-19 cases, a second Global COVID-19 Summit has been planned to be held virtually next month on May 12th, for countries to discuss efforts to end the pandemic and prepare for future health threats.

The summit was originally set to take place in March and was then later pushed to April after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the administration working with congress to secure funding for global vaccinations, before finally being switched to May.

The virtual gathering will be co-chaired by the United States, along with Germany as the current G7 president, Indonesia as the G20 president, Senegal as the African Union chair, and Belize the current chair of the CARICOM, the Caribbean community. Having had a similar summit last September hosted by President Joe Biden, many can expect a comparable conversation about surging vaccination rates and ensuring goals are met for the future.

The summit will build on efforts and commitments made at the first global summit, including discussions such as getting more people vaccinated, sending tests and treatments to highest-risk populations, expanding protections to health care workers and generating financing for pandemic preparedness.

“We know we must prepare now to build, sustain, and finance the global capacity we need, not only for emerging COVID-19 variants but also future health crises. To help achieve these goals, we urge all countries and stakeholders to pledge to take urgent actions to create the systems we need to end the acute phase of COVID-19, save lives, and build better health security and health systems,” the White House said in a joint statement to encourage a healthy mindset about the ongoing pandemic.