COVAX vaccine delivery target reduced to 1.425b doses this year


FE Team | Published: September 08, 2021 19:30:58 | Updated: September 10, 2021 22:00:30


A pack of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines is seen as the country receives its first batch of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines under the COVAX scheme, at the international airport of Accra in Ghana on February 24 this year -Reuters file photo

The COVAX vaccine-sharing facility will likely receive 1.425 billion doses of anti-COVID-19 shots from donor countries this year, down from a July estimate of 2 billion, the GAVI Vaccine Alliance said on Wednesday.

Reasons for the cut include export restrictions on key supplier Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi said in a joint statement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the World Health Organisation and Unicef, reports Reuters.

Manufacturing problems at Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca as well as delays in the regulatory review of shots developed by US biotech firm Novavax and China's Clover Biopharmaceuticals were further limiting factors, the organisations said.

Share if you like