The global COVAX vaccine initiative launched detailed plans to distribute vaccines to 145 participants in the first half of 2021.
To enlarge: Canada, which bought more doses per capita than any other country, chose to take 1.9 million doses from COVAX.
The whole picture: COVAX is the only global vaccine distribution mechanism and involves almost every country on Earth, with richer countries subsidizing access to the poorest.
- The initial stages involve 336 million doses of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as a much smaller volume of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
- By the end of 2021, COVAX aims to ensure that at least 20% of the population in each country has been vaccinated.
Each participant has the right to request doses, but most rich countries that have secured access through bilateral agreements have chosen not to do so, at least in the first wave.
- As Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI vaccine alliance, told reporters on Wednesday: “Does it help when countries with many bilateral transactions do not take doses? Of course, it helps because that means more doses are available for others. “
- While several other rich countries (Monaco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore) require doses of COVAX, Canada is the only G7 country on the list.
What are they saying: “COVAX has always been part of the government’s procurement strategy in Canada,” said the Minister of International Development. Karina Gould told CTV, adding that the government ‘s top priority is to ensure that Canadians have access.
Game status: While Canada bought about 200 million doses for its population of 38 million people, it administered only one million.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced strong pressure on repeated supply delays, partly due to a lack of domestic production capacity.
- The other side: Many countries have not yet given a single dose and will not receive it until they start receiving supplies from COVAX.
What to look for: Trudeau had previously pledged to donate overdoses to COVAX, but did not say whether Canada would do so before it fully covered its own domestic needs.
Not worth anything: North Korea, which has become even more isolated from the world during the pandemic and claims to be devoid of COVID, is also waiting for doses of COVAX.
Go deeper: The global line for coronavirus vaccines extends to 2023.