MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2020) Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist, said during a virtual briefing on Monday that a total of more than 180 countries had already joined the WHO-led COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), which ensures equal access to vaccines worldwide.
"October 9 was another deadline for countries to make commitments and over the weekend we have over 180 countries that have committed [to COVAX initiative]. These include the self-financing countries and the latest one to join and make a public announcement was China," Swaminathan said.
Last week, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that China was joining the initiative, along with South Korea and the Pacific island nation of Nauru.
COVAX is co-led by the UN health agency, Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. It is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator under the WHO auspices to bring together vaccine developers from different countries with the common goal of producing a safe COVID-19 vaccine.
