WHO: ‘COVAX to start supplying vaccines late January’

The COVAX Facility has decided to start supplying 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries from late this month. The timing of supply to high income countries including South Korea, however, is still uncertain.

According to Reuters on Friday, Kate O'Brien, director of the WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, said, “COVAX has raised 6 billion U.S. dollars for 92 developing countries that have not been able to secure vaccines. The organization will start supplying 2 billion doses of vaccines from late this month, or early, mid to late next month.”

COVAX, run jointly by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, plans to supply vaccines enough to vaccinate up to 20 percent of populations in low-income countries by the end of the year. The South Korean government signed a supply agreement with COVAX and made a down payment in October last year.

“COVAX’s vaccine supply is implemented through ‘two tracks’ for low-income and high-income countries. There is no change so far to the delivery schedule for South Korea set in the first quarter of this year,” said an official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.


Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com