Biden pledges free Covid vaccine for 'everyone' in US if elected

WILMINGTON (AFP): Democrat Joe Biden said Friday that if elected president he would mandate coronavirus vaccines be free for all Americans, part of a national strategy to "get ahead of this virus."

"Once we have a safe and effective vaccine, it has to be free to everyone - whether or not you're insured," Biden said in a speech laying out his pandemic response plan just 11 days before the US presidential election.

President Donald Trump, who trails Biden in the polls, has also stressed that a vaccine - which he says will be ready in the coming weeks - should be free.