Poor countries might get COVID-19 vaccine in February, says WHO

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) hopes that the coronavirus  vaccine  will be provided to poor and lower middle-income countries in February.

WHO Senior Adviser Bruce Aylward on Monday said that the WHO will  be able to launch COVID-19 vaccines in poor and lower middle-income countries in February through its COVAX programme.

“Over 40 countries have now begun vaccinating against COVID-19. However all of that vaccination, or virtually all, was in high income or middle income countries so far,” he said. “We have got to see vaccines going into arms in lower and lower-middle income countries.”

He said the COVAX programme could begin vaccinating people in February, and there was an effort to speed it up so some vaccinations in poor countries could take place this month.

The United Nations have doubled  its orders  to the vaccine-producing companies  under the COVAX programme.

Meanwhile, Palestine has contacted four vaccine-producing companies, including a Russian for  getting the vaccine.