COVAX faces shortage of 190m amid COVID-19 surge in India

WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) says the surge in coronavirus infection in India has had a severe impact on COVAX’s supply of vaccine in the second quarter of 2021.

  WHO gave the hint in a statement yesterday during an update on surge in the rate of infection in South Asia.

  The statement was jointly issued by WHO, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative, aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by Gavi, CEPI and WHO.

  According to them, COVAX’s supply has dried up to the point where, by the end of June, the country will face a shortfall of 190 million doses by June.

  “Countries that are advanced in their vaccination programmes are seeing cases of COVID-19 decline, hospitalisations decrease and early signs of some kind of normality resume. However, the global picture is far more concerning. At no point in this pandemic have we seen such an acute need to look to the future challenges and not rest on the patchy achievements made so far. We are seeing the traumatic effects of the terrible surge of COVID-19 in South Asia – a surge which has also severely impacted global vaccine supplies. We are also witnessing why access to vaccines before a surge occurs is so important. For that reason, we must focus on ensuring countries that have not benefitted from these life-saving tools to do so now, and with urgency,” it stated.