Before June, Pakistan will be receiving over 10m coronavirus vaccines under COVAX

Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia among the biggest recipients of free COVID-19 vaccines

By AFP
March 03, 2021
Airport workers transport on dollies a shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax global Covid-19 vaccination programme, at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra on February 24, 2021. Photo: AFP

Some 238.2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine will be distributed around the world by the end of May through the COVAX programme.

Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia will be among the biggest recipients of the free Covid-19 vaccines before June -- more than 10 million doses each -- the Covax scheme announced Tuesday.

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The Covax scheme aims to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

It plans to deliver to 142 countries and territories by May 31 in its first wave of distribution.

Though vaccination campaigns have gathered pace globally, the majority of injections have been administered in wealthier countries while many nations have yet to receive a single dose.

The five biggest confirmed recipients are Pakistan (14,640,000 doses), Nigeria (13,656,000), Indonesia (11,704,800), Bangladesh (10,908,000) and Brazil (9,122,400).

They are followed by Ethiopia (7,620,000), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5,928,000), Mexico (5,532,000), Egypt (4,389,600) and Vietnam (4,176,000).

Iran, Myanmar, Kenya and Uganda are also in line for more than three million doses each.

Overall by the end of May, India is likely to be the biggest recipient of Covax doses, but its allocation was not finalised before the publication of the distribution list on Tuesday.

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is meanwhile set to receive the smallest number of doses at 4,800, followed by Nauru and Monaco with 7,200 each.

Covax is co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gavi vaccine alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

The scheme is aiming to distribute enough doses to vaccinate up to 27 percent of the population in the 92 poorest participating economies by the end of the year, with at least 1.3 billion doses intended to go their way.

"Covax's mission is to help end the acute phase of the pandemic as soon as possible," said Gavi chief executive Seth Berkley.

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