Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the COVAX (the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility), the global pooled procurement mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines, may be launched as early as February.
"That's why today I'm glad to announce that COVAX has signed an agreement with Read alsoUkraine may count on EU in obtaining COVID-19 vaccine – Letter to ZelenskyPfizer/BioNTech for up to 40 million doses of its COVID19 vaccine" the WHO press service quoted him as saying on Twitter, January 22.
"Additionally, pending WHO emergency use listing, we expect almost 150 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID19 vaccine to be available for distribution by COVAX in the first quarter of this year," he said.
"Together, these announcements mean COVAX could begin delivering doses in February, provided we can finalize a supply agreement for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and emergency use listing for the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine," he added.
COVID-19 vaccine for Ukraine
- In February-March 2021, Ukraine expects the delivery of a vaccine against COVID-19.
- The first batch of a vaccine via the COVAX Facility will include 8 million doses, which will be enough to vaccinate 4 million people (two shots per person required). First to get vaccinated will be healthcare workers, the elderly, and seriously ill patients.
- On December 24, 2020, Health Minister Stepanov said that his ministry was working out a plan to increase the COVAX vaccine quota from 8 million to 16 million doses.
- On December 30, Ukraine signed a contract with China's Sinovac for the supply of 1.9 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
- On January 8, 2020, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus said that rich countries have the majority of the supply of a COVID-19 vaccine from the manufacturers Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
- On January 13, Health Minister Stepanov said that his ministry planned to sign contracts in the coming days with new companies that produce the coronavirus vaccine.
- According to the WHO, 170 experimental vaccines are currently at the stage of preclinical trials, 65 are undergoing clinical trials, of which 15 are at the third, last stage.