The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is expected to receive approximately 195 million doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines between March and June.
This will be for deployment to member countries joining the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility, through which the provisions are being procured.
The amount will be from two billion doses for which the WHO has already secured agreements with manufacturers, through the Facility, for global distribution.
Among them is Pfizer Inc, the first entity issued with an emergency use licence for its vaccine by the WHO.
The COVAX Facility is designed to accelerate equitable access by countries globally to appropriate, safe and efficacious vaccines.
Speaking during PAHO’s COVID-19 digital briefing today PAHO Assistant Director, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, said delivery of the vaccines is expected to get underway in March when the first 20 million doses are expected to be received for deployment, thereby facilitating the targeted commencement of the vaccination programme roll-out in member countries.
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