Covax eyes vaccines for 20% of people in poor nations by year-end

The vaccine-sharing facility Covax said Wednesday it should be able to provide Covid-19 jabs to no more than 20 per cent of people in poorer countries this year, far fewer than anticipated.

"Today, Covax's ability to protect the most vulnerable people in the world continues to be hampered by export bans, the prioritisation of bilateral deals by manufacturers and countries, ongoing challenges in scaling up production by some key producers, and delays in filing for regulatory approval," Covax's backers, including the World Health Organization and the Gavi vaccine alliance, said in a statement.