|
 The advance purchase contract agreed with Moderna is for up to 500
million doses, but the roll out will only start in the fourth
quarter, with 34 million doses available this year, the GAVI vaccine
alliance said on Monday.
The bulk - 466 million - would only become available next year, it
said.
The deal expands the programme's pipeline of vaccines to eight and
contains options to potentially access doses of variant-adapted
vaccines in the future, it said.
The agreement follows the U.S. drugmaker's shot being approved for
emergency use listing by the WHO on Friday, a prerequisite for COVAX
eligibility.
GAVI runs the COVAX vaccine sharing facility with the World Health
Organization.
The Swedish donation is the second by a European Union member after
France last month amid mounting concerns about growing inequity in
vaccine distribution after wealthy countries built up stocks of
shots for its citizens.
The EU also wants the bloc to regain the initiative in vaccine
diplomacy from Russia and China.
Sweden paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March after
reports of rare, but serious, blood clots among people who had
received that shot. It later resumed the use of the shot, but only
for people aged 65 or above.
The WHO has repeatedly urged wealthier countries to share excess
doses to help inoculate health workers in low-income countries and
tame the pandemic which has killed more than 3.3 million.
[to top of second column] |
But COVAX has also been hit by supply problems
for COVID-19 vaccines, notably the AstraZeneca
shot made in India, where authorities have
restricted exports because of its fast-growing
epidemic.
Moderna said in a
statement the doses would be offered at its "lowest tiered price"
without disclosing further details.
Sweden's donation aims to help address immediate-term supply delays,
ensuring some countries can administer second doses to high-risk
groups, Gavi said. Since late February, GAVI has
shipped 49 million COVID-19 doses to 121 countries and economies,
mainly the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"Expanding and having a diverse portfolio has always been a core
goal for COVAX, and to remain adaptable in the face of this
continually evolving pandemic – including the rising threat posed by
new variants," said Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO.
Berkley said last month that COVAX aimed to deliver one-third of a
billion doses by mid-year.
COVAX hopes to have 2 billion doses available by the end of 2021,
half of which will go to 92 lower-income countries. In all,
depending on how Gavi exercises its options, it has secured up to
3.6 billion doses, a spokeswoman said.
(additional reporting by John Miller in Zurich, writing by Stephanie
Nebehay, editing by Josephine Mason and Louise Heavens)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
