GENEVA: Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia will be among the biggest recipients of free COVID-19 vaccines before June and received more than 10 million doses each from the Covax scheme.
Some 238.2 million doses will be distributed around the world by the end of May through the programme aimed at boosting access to coronavirus vaccines in poorer nations. The Covax scheme aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines has outlined plans to deliver to 142 countries and territories by May 31.
The five biggest confirmed recipients are Pakistan (14,640,000 doses), Nigeria (13,656,000), Indonesia (11,704,800), Bangladesh (10,908,000) and Brazil (9,122,400). They are followed by Ethiopia (7,620,000), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5,928,000), Mexico (5,532,000), Egypt (4,389,600) and Vietnam (4,176,000). Iran, Myanmar, Kenya and Uganda are also in line for more than three million doses each.
By the end of May, India is likely to be the biggest recipient of Covax doses, but its allocation was not finalised before the publication of the distribution list. The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is meanwhile set to receive the smallest number of doses at 4,800, followed by Nauru and Monaco with 7,200 each.
Covax is co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gavi vaccine alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The scheme is aiming to distribute enough doses to vaccinate up to 27 percent of the population in the 92 poorest participating economies by the end of the year, with at least 1.3 billion doses intended to go their way.
The first wave of deliveries include some 237 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, being manufactured in India and South Korea, and another 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which requires special ultra-cold storage.
Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Korea, India and Colombia have already received their first deliveries of vaccines through Covax. Nigeria, Angola, Cambodia all received their first vaccine doses via Covax on Tuesday, with DR Congo also scheduled for delivery. Senegal will get its first batch on Wednesday, and some 20 countries in total are due to receive shipments this week. Ghana received the first flight of Covax AstraZeneca doses on February 24.
Some 198 countries and territories are participating in Covax, though not all are in the first wave of distribution. The funding for 92 lower- and lower-middle income economies is covered through donations. Some wealthy countries were on the distribution list with South Korea in line for 2.2 million doses, Canada 1.6 million, Saudi Arabia 1.5 million, Singapore 245,000 and New Zealand 211,000.
Any vaccine being rolled out through Covax requires the WHO seal of approval so far given to just the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs. Novavax will provide 1.1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to Covax, while the facility has also signed deals with Sanofi-GSK and Johnson and Johnson.
