Adobe
After months of uncertainty and frustration, a World Health Organization program designed to ensure access to Covid-19 vaccines in dozens of low-income countries late last week received a spate of good news.
First, one vaccine maker, Novavax (NVAX), pledged 1.1 billion doses of its shot to the WHO effort, which is known as COVAX. Meanwhile, the U.S. agreed to contribute $4 billion in aid over the next two years, with Germany adding $1.2 billion and the European Commission providing $600 million. Collectively, the G7 countries have now committed a total $7.5 billion. And the U.K. promised to provide surplus vaccines to low-income countries.
First in EU: Menczer with Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Qi Dayu welcoming the arrival of China’s Sinopharm vaccine at Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Hungary on Feb 16. Xinhua
CHINA’s Covid-19 vaccines have finally gained their well-deserved recognition this month after EU nations led by Germany and France called for openness to accept Chinese and Russian vaccines amid acute shortage.
Earlier this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed openness of their countries to any vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to overcome vaccine shortage.
Last Monday, Macron said that Chinese and Russian vaccines were “necessary for the world to win the war against Covid-19”, reported Xinhua News from Paris.