Cash-strapped Venezuela cannot join COVAX vaccine program, PAHO says By Cassandra Garrison, Diego Oré and Brian Ellsworth FILE PHOTO: COVID-19 mass-vaccination of healthcare workers takes place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles MEXICO CITY/CARACAS (Reuters) – The timeline has closed for Venezuela to join the COVAX facility for COVID-19 vaccines, an official with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Tuesday, though the country was still negotiating for doses through other means. Venezuela, where pandemic lockdowns aggravated an already-severe economic crisis, expressed interest in joining COVAX, according Ciro Ugarte, director of health emergencies for PAHO, the regional arm of the World Health Organization (WHO).