The COVAX initiative for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines has published its first distribution list, planning enough doses for dozens of countries to immunise more than 3 percent of their populations by mid-year.
The release of the “interim distribution forecast” on Wednesday came amid concerns over whether lower-income countries will be left out of the immunisation race dominated by rich nations – a problem COVAX, which is led by the United Nations-backed vaccine alliance Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), was set up to resolve.
The list broke down for the first time how the programme’s initial 337.2 million doses will be distributed, in line with a target “to protect the most vulnerable groups such as health care workers” in the first half of the year.
First deliveries are expected in late February, with some 145 countries set to receive enough doses to immunise 3.3 percent of their population by mid-2021.
