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Has Australia done enough to secure vaccines?
The COVID-19 outbreak on Sydneyâs northern beaches this week has again put the nation on edge. itâs a brutal reminder that Australiaâs health crisis is far from over.
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.Â
AP
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The fresh coronavirus outbreak on Sydneyâs northern beaches this week serves as a brutal reminder of one thing: until a vaccine becomes widely available, the pandemic is far from over.
And while the first COVID-19 jabs are tantalisingly close â feasibly just seven weeks away â thatâs cold comfort for the tens of thousands of Sydneysiders facing the prospect of a Christmas with restrictions on their movement.
Getty/Mladen Antonov
COVAX, the global alliance to ensure a fair supply of coronavirus vaccines in poorer countries, is struggling in its mission, according to the Associated Press (AP).
It has acquired only 10% of the 2 billion doses it intends to buy in the next year, according to the AP.
Additionally, it is $5 billion short of the funds needed, the AP reported. A report seen by the outlet said its risk of failure is now “very high.”
Meanwhile, the bulk of 2021’s planned production has already been preordered by countries like the US, the UK and Canada, the outlet reported.
The buyout as well as many other practical factors means that poorer countries could wait years to get an effective number of vaccines.
Poor Countries Face Long Wait for Vaccines
December 16, 2020
Volunteers wait to be checked at a vaccine trial facility for AstraZeneca at Soweto s Chris Sani Baragwanath Hospital outside Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
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Americans, Britons and Canadians are finally receiving a vaccine for the new coronavirus.
It will take several months to vaccinate everyone, but the end of the COVID-19 health crisis in these countries seems near.
But for poorer countries, the end seems far away.
The World Health Organization (WHO) created the COVAX program to provide vaccine
NEW DELHI: With Americans, Britons and Canadians rolling up their sleeves to receive coronavirus vaccines, the route out of the pandemic now seems clear to many in the West, even if the rollout will take many months. But for poorer countries, the road will be far longer and rougher.
The ambitious initiative known as COVAX created to ensure the entire world has access to COVID-19 vaccines has secured only a fraction of the 2 billion doses it hopes to buy over the next year, has yet to confirm any actual deals to ship out vaccines and is short on cash.
The virus that has killed more than 1.6 million people has exposed vast inequities between countries, as fragile health systems and smaller economies were often hit harder.