February 20, 2021
Azlan Othman
ASEAN has decided to spend USD10.5 million from its coronavirus response fund to buy Covid-19 vaccines for member nations.
It made the decision on Thursday at the 6
th ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group of Public Health emergencies (ACCWG-PHE), which discussed COVID response initiatives.
The fund was set up at the ASEAN Summit in June last year to mitigate the shortage of medical equipment, developing treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 and preparing for future emergencies. It has received contributions of over USD15 million from member countries and partners.
The vaccine doses will be distributed equally among the group’s members agreed at the sixth meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) with discussions focussing on effective control of coronavirus outbreaks and sustainable, comprehensive recovery.