Joe Raedle-Getty Images North America—AFP
COVAX regime announces list of confirmed recipients of aid program that aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines globally
Pakistan will be the biggest recipient of free COVID-19 vaccines from the World Health Organization’s COVAX scheme, with the program announcing on Tuesday that Islamabad will receive nearly 15 million doses by June.
Co-led by WHO, the Gavi vaccine alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the COVAX scheme aims to distribute sufficient vaccines to inoculate around 27 percent of the population in the 92 poorest participating economies by the end of the year. According to COVAX, Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia would be among the biggest recipients of the vaccines before June.
It said that around 238.2 million doses would be distributed to 142 countries by the end of May in the first wave of distribution. The five biggest confirmed recipients are Pakistan with 14,640,000 doses; Nigeria with 13,656,000; Indonesia with 11,704,800; Bangladesh with 10,908,000; and Brazil with 9,122,400. Following them are Ethiopia with 7,620,000 doses; the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 5,928,000 doses; Mexico with 5,532,000; Egypt with 4,389,600; and Vietnam with 4,176,000.
The distribution list did not mention an allocation for India, but it is likely that it would be the biggest recipient of COVAX doses by the end of May due to its population size. By contrast, Tuvalu is set to receive the smallest number of doses at 4,800, followed by Nauru and Monaco with 7,200 each.
COVAX had earlier announced that of the total doses to be administered, around 237 million would be of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, while 1.2 million would be of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Both require two injected doses for full efficacy.
Around 198 countries and territories are participating in COVAX, though not all are slated to be included in the first wave of distribution.