The COVAX initiative was launched in April last year to ensure the rapid and equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines to rich and poor countries alike and the vaccination of high-risk groups.
Led by the World Health Organization and numerous other international health groups, it has since been joined by 190 countries, but was shunned by the United States, partly because former President Donald Trump did not want to work with WHO.
The first round of distribution includes 336 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine — 240 million made by the Serum Institute of India and 96 million by AstraZeneca — as well as 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
But the plan is “non-binding and may be subject to change,” with the actual allocation and distribution dependent on a series of caveats, from WHO’s emergency use approval to the readiness of countries to receive and administer the vaccines, the document said.
Both vaccines require two doses to provide full immunity. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must be stored at minus 75 degrees Celsius, or minus 103 degrees Fahrenheit. In comparison, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine can be kept at refrigerator temperatures of 2C to 8C (36F to 46F) for at least six months, making transport and distribution much easier, especially in developing countries that lack cold storage capacities.
But the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only one so far that has secured emergency use approval from WHO. An evaluation of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is currently underway.
Delivery of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is estimated to begin in late February, if all the requirements are met, according to the allocation plan.
“We will soon be able to start delivering life-saving vaccines globally, an outcome we…
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