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Ireland is among 156 countries that have joined a World Health Organization-backed program, which aims to ensure the fair distribution of any future Covid-19 vaccines.
WHO, in coordination with the global vaccine alliance group GAVI and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), created a mechanism to ensure a more equitable distribution of any future vaccine.
The COVAX scheme hopes to acquire two billion doses of safe and effective vaccines by the end of 2021, initially prioritizing healthcare workers and then the most vulnerable 20% of people in all participating countries, regardless of income level.
Sixty-four higher-income, self-financing countries have joined the program, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, according to a statement released by the WHO-GAVI vaccine alliance, following a deadline last Friday. to make commitments.
Ireland is one of 27 EU member states, apart from Norway and Iceland, participating in the program.
However, COVAX has struggled to raise the funds necessary to serve the 92 low-income countries and other economies that were quickly enrolled.
Some wealthier countries that have secured their own future supplies through bilateral agreements, including the United States, do not plan to join COVAX.
The plan has highlighted the challenge of distributing vaccines equitably around the world and has sparked accusations of selfish behavior from some wealthier nations.
The vaccine alliance said it expected 38 other rich countries to join the initiative in the coming days.
He said it had received commitments of $ 1.4 billion for vaccine research and development, but that between $ 700 and $ 800 million was urgently needed.
The alliance did not say which countries were only providing funding but did not plan to take the vaccine supply from the plan.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged rich countries to contribute more.
He said so-called “vaccine nationalism” will only perpetuate the disease and prolong the global recovery.
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