- Title: COVAX among the contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
- Date: 30th September 2021
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (FILE - MARCH 31, 2021) (REUTERS) VACCINE VIALS BOX OF SYRINGES VARIOUS OF MEDICAL WORKER VACCINATING WOMAN Healthcare workers in Ghana expressed relief as the West African nation kicked off its vaccination campaign with COVAX shots. ACCRA, GHANA (FILE - MARCH 2, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF COVID-19 MANAGEMENT TEAM AT GREATER ACCRA REGIONAL HOSPITAL, EMMANUEL ADIPPA-ADAPOE, SAYING: "Well, I feel excited because I have been one of the lucky ones who did not get infected in the line of duty but a lot of my colleagues have fallen to the vaccine (virus) some have recovered, some are still not feeling well and some have unfortunately succumbed to the virus. So I feel excited that today marks the beginning of a new journey in the face of this, the fight against this pandemic. I am really very excited to be part of the vaccination process." NURSE VACCINATING ADIPPA-ADAPOE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING TO GET VACCINATED UNICEF STAFF STANDING PEOPLE WASHING HANDS OUTSIDE ICU UNIT NURSES LISTENING TO SPEECH BY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF GHANA HEALTH SERVICE, DOCTOR PATRICK KUMA-ABOAGYE
- Embargoed: 14th October 2021 01:18
- Keywords: COVAX COVID-19 WHO World Health Organization vaccination vaccine-sharing
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: Various
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA009EWXT8AV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: COVAX, a programme aiming to ensure fair global access to COVID-19 vaccines, is among the contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Launched in April 2020, the programme is a response to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and is co-led by the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
The programme's initial ambitions of acting as a vaccine clearing house were scaled back in June to focus on countries deemed most in need.
COVAX has been plagued by vaccine shortages, caused initially by richer nations' hoarding of limited doses. These countries already had many vaccines through separate bilateral deals with pharmaceutical firms
Subsequently supplies were hit by drugmakers' problems in ramping up production and export restrictions in manufacturing hub India, which has held up delivery of many of the 240 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that COVAX allocated in late February.
These issues have reduced its capacity to deliver to poorer nations. It has so far shipped about 300 million doses to over 140 countries, far off of its initial target of 2 billion doses by the end of the year, which has now been cut to 1.4 billion.
Vaccination rates in some countries, including Haiti and Democratic Republic of Congo are less than 1%, a Reuters tracker shows.
There are 329 candidates for 2021's Nobel Peace Prize, the third highest number of contenders for the prestigous award ever.
The winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 8.
(Production: Michael Fiorentino) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
