Sunday, 22 Jun 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > Rich countries getting new COVID vaccine before poorer ones
World

Rich countries getting new COVID vaccine before poorer ones

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Rich countries getting new COVID vaccine before poorer ones
SHARE

NEW DELHI (AP) — The company behind a COVID-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world has sent tens of millions of doses to wealthy nations but provided none yet to the U.N.-backed effort to supply poorer countries, a sign that inequity persists in the global response to the pandemic.

COVAX had planned to make available 250 million doses from Novavax by March, but the U.N. agency in charge of deliveries says the first shipments now likely won’t be made until April or May.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. CEPI, one of the organizations leading COVAX, gave Novavax $388 million to fast-track the vaccine’s development, aimed at making the shot available in poorer countries as the pandemic was exploding two years ago.

The investment guaranteed COVAX the “right of first refusal” to the first Novavax doses, but the deal applied only to factories in the Czech Republic, South Korea and Spain, said CEPI spokesman Bjorg Dystvold Nilsson.

There are other factories that aren’t part of the deal — and their shots are going elsewhere.

The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, has manufactured millions of Novavax doses. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the institute, more than 28.9 million of those doses were sent to the Netherlands in January and February, while Australia received about 6 million doses. Indonesia also received about 9 million doses in December.

Thousands of other Novavax doses were also shipped from a Netherlands factory to other EU countries.

“Whatever the reason, a vaccine that was believed to be highly suitable for poor countries is now in large part going to rich countries,” said Zain Rizvi, a drug policy expert at the U.S. advocacy group Public Citizen. “It’s tragic that in year three of the pandemic, we still cannot get the resources, attention and political will to solve vaccine inequity.”

The delay is the latest setback for COVAX, which has been repeatedly hit by supply problems and has missed numerous targets to share doses.

Last year, WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried the chasm in vaccine supplies between rich and poor countries as a “catastrophic moral failure.”

Vaccine availability has been improving in poorer regions recently, but logistical problems persist.

According to data from Oxford University, only about 14% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. More than 680 million doses of COVAX-provided vaccines remain unused or have expired, according to government data.

Even with vaccine supplies improving, some officials were eagerly awaiting the Novavax vaccine in particular because it is easier to transport and store than some other coronavirus shots. They also hoped it might be more enticing to people skeptical of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which suffered through a botched rollout in Europe.

Countries including Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic and Kiribati were among those in line to be offered Novavax doses by March from COVAX.

Before the pandemic, Novavax was a small American company that had never brought any vaccine to market. Its shots have proven highly effective, but it is relying heavily on other companies to make them.

The company, struggling to scale up production, also has delayed delivery to other countries, including some in the European Union. COVAX is supposed to receive more than 1 billion Novavax doses.

In a statement, the Gaithersburg, Maryland, company acknowledged that it had yet to share any shots with the vaccines alliance Gavi, which fronts the COVAX effort, but said it stands ready to do so.

“We continue to work with Gavi to reach our shared goal of ensuring global access to our protein-based vaccine where it is needed most,” Novavax said.

Gavi suggested part of the delay is that the Novavax vaccine wasn’t authorized by WHO until December. Gavi said it planned to allocate Novavax in the future and was “in close touch with the manufacturer and expects the supply to be available for delivery when countries need it.”

Health officials also worry that the urgency to vaccinate people everywhere against COVID-19 has disappeared — especially as many countries roll back precautions and the world’s attention is diverted.

“Rich countries have moved on from COVID and everyone is fixated on the war in Ukraine, but COVID-19 remains an acute crisis for most people in the world,” said Ritu Sharma, a vice-president at the charity CARE.

She said COVAX was still desperately short of vaccines and that based on the current pace of vaccination, the world was still “years and years” away from immunizing enough people to stop future COVID-19 waves.

Other experts said it was incumbent on public health agencies to ensure their investments into vaccines would benefit poor countries and to be more transparent about what went wrong.

“Whatever the explanation is, it’s unsatisfactory,” said Brook Baker, an access to medicines specialist at Northeastern University. “The bottom line is that there are still a lot of unvaccinated people in poor countries and once again, they are at the back of the line.”

___

Cheng reported from London. Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Searchers find wing, engine parts from China Eastern crash Searchers find wing, engine parts from China Eastern crash
Next Article North Korea fires suspected missile into sea North Korea fires suspected missile into sea

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

‘Lots of talk, little action’: Hundreds protest outside U.N. Ocean Conference

By Catarina Demony and Miguel PereiraLISBON, June 29 (Reuters) - Aboriginal Australian activist Theresa Ardler…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Putin says ‘unfriendly’ countries must now pay for Russian natural gas in rubles

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia will insist that "unfriendly countries" pay for…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Lush Growths and Classical Structure Converge in Eva Jospin’s Meticulous Sculptures

Relatively than place herself as an observer of landscapes, Eva Jospin imagines people and their…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Lyfe Jennings Re-Recording Music Taylor Swift-Type, Claims Sony Owes Him $15M

Play video content material TMZ.com Lyfe Jennings is claiming his outdated file label Sony Music…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

RAF base vandalism not sufficient to justify Palestine Motion ban, says ex-minister
World

RAF base vandalism not sufficient to justify Palestine Motion ban, says ex-minister

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
From delivery, to proxies, to concentrating on US bases, Iran’s choices to strike again are restricted
World

From delivery, to proxies, to concentrating on US bases, Iran’s choices to strike again are restricted

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Information reside: practically 4,000 Australians making an attempt to evacuate Israel and Iran, Marles says; physique present in seek for lacking man in NSW
World

Information reside: practically 4,000 Australians making an attempt to evacuate Israel and Iran, Marles says; physique present in seek for lacking man in NSW

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Esther Rantzen hails Commons passage of ‘rigorous and safe’ assisted dying invoice
World

Esther Rantzen hails Commons passage of ‘rigorous and safe’ assisted dying invoice

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?