Over 60 wealthy nations join WHO’s Covid-19 vaccine plan

More than 60 wealthy nations have joined a WHO-backed programme to facilitate poor countries’ access to coronavirus vaccines, but the US and China are not on the list published Monday.

The World Health Organization has in coordination with the global vaccine alliance group Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) created a mechanism aimed at ensuring a more equitable distribution of any future Covid-19 vaccines.

But the mechanism, known as Covax, has struggled to raise the funds needed to provide for the 92 low-income countries and other economies that quickly signed up.

WHO had encouraged richer nations to step up to the plate by the end of last week and when the deadline fell, 64 were onboard with another 38 expected to join in “coming days”, the three organisations said in a joint statement.

Among those who have signed up are “the European Commission … on behalf of 27 EU member states plus Norway and Iceland,” it said.

The United State, which under President Donald Trump has relentlessly criticised the WHO’s handling of the pandemic and which is in the process of withdrawing from the organisation, is not on the list.

And China, where the novel coronavirus first surfaced late last year, is also absent.

“The purpose of the Covax facility is to try to work with every country in the world,” Gavi chief Seth Berkley told a virtual briefing when asked about China’s absence from the list.

“I can assure you that we have had conversations and will continue to have conversations with all countries,” he said. (AFP)