COVID fight could return ‘to square one’: experts sound vaccines alarm
London, UKReuters India’s export ban on COVID-19 shots risks dragging the battle against the pandemic “back to square one” unless wealthy nations step in to plug a gaping hole in the COVAX global vaccine-sharing scheme, health specialists said on Thursday. COVAX, which is critical for poorer countries, relies on AstraZeneca shots made by the Serum […]
COVAX vaccine program to deliver 237 million doses to 142 nations by end-May
Geneva, Switzerland/London, UKReuters The COVAX vaccine-sharing program said on Tuesday it will deliver 237 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot to 142 countries by the end of May as it steps up the global roll-out of its vaccine supplies. The timeline for the delivery of doses, made by AstraZeneca and by India’s Serum Institute, will […]
COVAX allocates first tranche of 330 million vaccine doses to poor countries
Geneva, Switzerland/London, UKReuters The COVAX vaccine-sharing facility has allocated at least 330 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for poorer countries and will aim to deliver these and many millions more in the first half of 2021, agencies leading the scheme said on Wednesday. Publishing an interim distribution plan, the COVAX Facility said distribution would cover […]
Explainer: Can coronavirus vaccines reach developing countries?
Thomson Reuters Foundation Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is more stable than expected at temperatures that ordinary refrigerators can provide and can be distributed using existing cold-chain shipping and storage infrastructure. That opens the door for its early use in hard to reach places that might not be appropriate for Pfizer Inc’s vaccine which needs ultra-cold storage. Vials labelled “COVID-19 […]
WHO emergency COVID-19 vaccine listing aims to lift access in poor countries
Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters The World Health Organization on Thursday listed Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, in a move seeking to speed access in the developing world. The United Nations health agency said it will work with regional partners to tell national health authorities about the two-dose shot and its anticipated benefits. Syringes are […]
WHO vaccine scheme risks failure, leaving poor countries no COVID shots until 2024
Brussels, BelgiumReuters The global scheme to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries faces a “very high” risk of failure, potentially leaving nations home to billions of people with no access to vaccines until as late as 2024, internal documents say. The World Health Organization’s COVAX program is the main global scheme to vaccinate people in […]
Inoculation logistics: COVID-19 vaccines raise hope but the ‘last mile’ challenge looms
THIN LEI WIN and NAIMUL KARIM, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report on challenges of getting COVID-19 vaccines to people across the world…
WHO hopes to have 500 million vaccine doses via COVAX scheme in first quarter of 2021 – chief scientist
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The World Health Organization hopes to have half a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines available for distribution by the global COVAX initiative in the first quarter of 2021, its chief scientist said on Friday. To date 189 countries have joined the COVAX program, which is backed by the WHO and seeks to ensure […]
UNICEF says it will ship two billion COVID vaccines to poor nations in 2021
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Nearly two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be shipped and flown to developing countries next year in a “mammoth operation”, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said on Monday, as world leaders vowed to ensure the fair distribution of vaccines. UNICEF said it was working with over 350 airlines and freight […]
Vaccine alliance raises $US2 billion to buy COVID shots for poor nations
London, UK/Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters A facility set up by the World Health Organization and the GAVI vaccine group has exceeded an interim target of raising more than $US2 billion to buy and distribute COVID-19 shots for poorer countries, but said it still needs more. The GAVI alliance said on Friday that the funds for an advance […]