GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd May, 2021) The director-general of the World Health Organization thanked Sweden on Monday for pledging to donate 1 million AstraZeneca shots to the vaccine-sharing mechanism COVAX.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it a "superb gesture that must be replicated urgently, and repeatedly, by governments around the world to accelerate the equitable rollout of vaccines globally."
The WHO head said after a meeting with Swedish Health Minister Per Olsson Fridh in Geneva that the donation would provide life-saving vaccines to at-risk people in low income countries.
The Gavi vaccine alliance said the donation would allow COVAX to address immediate-term supply delays.
"Doses shared in the short-term will help ensure... participants can administer second doses of the AZ/Oxford vaccine to high risk groups such as health care workers," a statement read.
Sweden stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine in March amid reports that it caused rare but dangerous blood clots. It then resumed administering the shot but only to patients aged 65 and older.
