Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : February 5, 2021 9:40 AM IST
AstraZeneca vaccine is one of the two vaccines currently being administered to the eligible population in India.
A UN-backed programme to deploy COVID-19 vaccines to the neediest people worldwide, especially in poor countries, announced plans on Wednesday for an initial distribution of some 100 million doses by the end of March and more than 200 million more by the end of June. The COVAX Facility, which is seeking the fair distribution of vaccines at a time of short supplies, said that nearly all of the doses expected for the first phase will come from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and its partner, the Serum Institute of India.
India may also get 97.1 million doses of vaccines, according to COVAX's interim distribution forecast, published on February 3. The vaccines for India will be from Pune's Serum Institute of India, which India has already bought and is using for the first phase of vaccination that started in the country from January 16. These doses will be in addition to India's direct deal with Pune's Serum Institute of India. In another agreement, Serum Institute of India will supply 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Novavax to the COVAX vaccine scheme, as part of a new long-term deal, the head of the UN Children's Fund said on Wednesday. UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore said the shots would be delivered over a number of years at the cost of about $3 per dose for low- and middle-income countries.
Dr Seth Berkley, the CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, said COVAX plans for the initial distribution of 336 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which AstraZeneca developed with Oxford University, through June to dozens of countries. GAVI expects that nearly one-third of those doses, more than 100 million, will start being delivered to targeted countries by the end of March, officials said. Another 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from US-based Pfizer and German partner BioNTech are expected to be shared by 18 countries during the first quarter of the year. The 18 countries set to receive the Pfizer vaccine are Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Cabo Verde, Colombia, El Salvador, Georgia, Maldives, Moldova, Mongolia, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Rwanda, South Africa, Tunisia, and Ukraine, as well as the Palestinian territories.
The AstraZeneca vaccine rollout will be contingent on the World Health Organisation authorising the shot for emergency use, which is expected to happen this month. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine already has received such approval but supplying it to poorer nations is a challenge because the vaccine requires storage at extremely cold temperatures. Such rollouts are contingent on regulatory approvals and countries' readiness to receive the vaccines.
Some 190 countries and territories that are participating in COVAX have been awaiting details of the rollout. The participants include self-financing upper- and middle-income countries that have put up money and 93 lower-income countries which are expected to benefit. WHO officials have consistently said the way to beat the pandemic is to make sure that everyone is safe from it not just those in wealthier countries that launched vaccination drives in December.
COVAX has faced challenges as rich countries have scooped up vaccine supplies, sometimes at premium prices, and undercut WHO's goal of equitable vaccine distribution. Programme leaders have faced issues trying to strike deals with pharmaceutical manufacturers, and only a fraction of the 2 billion doses that have been secured for COVAX involve firm deals.
COVAX has raised over 6 billion of the 8 billion needed to cover procurement and distribution to the poorest countries, including a 4 billion commitment from the US Congress in December. The European Union and its members have committed about 800 million and Britain has added more than 700 million, GAVI officials said. GAVI the Vaccine Alliance is leading COVAX along with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation and WHO.
(With inputs from Agencies)
