While the US and many other Nations are turning a corner on COVID through vaccinations, many poor countries are suffering.
The COVAX initiative is calling on first-world nations to share 1 billion vaccine doses before the end of 2021, so vaccines can be supplied to the poorest nations on the planet.
“At no point in this pandemic have we seen such an acute need to look to the future challenges and not rest on the patchy achievements made so far,” COVAX said in a statement on Thursday. “The terrible surge of the virus in India has had a severe impact on COVAX’s supply in the second quarter of this year, to the point where, by the end of June we will face a shortfall of 190 million doses.”
The initiative also said it had started to see countries stepping forward, including the US and Europe, which had collectively pledged to share 180 million doses, but says it still needs more.
“At least one billion doses could be shared by wealthy countries in 2021,” the statement read.
