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From Egypt to Kenya, African countries are building their own vaccine factories

From Egypt to Kenya, African countries are building their own vaccine factories

BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY A bid for self-sufficiency in the health sector is largely seen targeting vaccine imports and is elevating Africa's bio-manufacturing industry, according to numerous recent reports which also point to improved healthcare capabilities. “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for Africa to accelerate its vaccine manufacturing capabilities,” said Olilo Patrick, a Genetic Engineer at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for biotechnology research and development. During the pandemic, vaccine access was almost impossible to most African countries, with wait times of months, as Western nations prioritised vaccine nationalism and profiteering around supply and demand. Having…
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Summit secures $2.4 bln for COVID shots for poor countries

Summit secures $2.4 bln for COVID shots for poor countries

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY and JOHN MILLER DOZENS of countries have pledged nearly $2.4 billion to the COVAX vaccine-sharing plan to widen the availability of COVID-19 shots to people in poorer nations who have so far come up short. The announcements, ranging from $2,500 from island nation Mauritius to millions of dollars and doses from larger, wealthier countries, came during a video summit hosted by Japan and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, which leads the COVAX facility alongside the World Health Organization. "We have taken a big step towards 'one world protected'," said Jose Manuel Barroso, GAVI vaccine alliance chairman. The fresh funds…
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Egypt 4.9 million doses in May

Egypt 4.9 million doses in May

EGYPT will receive another 4.9 million doses of different types of coronavirus vaccines in May. The earliest of these will be a shipment of 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine which is due to arrive next week as part of the global COVAX agreement, the Egyptian cabinet said in a statement. COVAX was established by the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the equitable distribution of vaccines. Egypt will receive an additional shipment of 1.7 million AstraZeneca vaccines by the end of May, 1 million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine to arrive…
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“Shocking vaccine disparity”

“Shocking vaccine disparity”

THERE is still a "shocking disparity" in the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said. Tedros, addressing an event of the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, said that some low and middle-income countries in the COVAX facility still had not received any vaccines, while others had not received their second round allocation. "We need an urgent scale-up in financing COVAX," he said. Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and chair of the African Union, said he hoped that people on the African continent would have the same…
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Egypt gets 854,400 doses of vaccine

Egypt gets 854,400 doses of vaccine

EGYPT has received 854,400 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as part of the global COVAX agreement, the health ministry said. COVAX was established by the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the equitable distribution of vaccines. The shipment is part of 40 million doses that Egypt is set to receive via GAVI. The AstraZeneca vaccine has received approval for emergency use from WHO and the Egyptian Drug Authority, the ministry spokesman said in a statement. The shipment will be tested in the authority's labs before the vaccination of medical workers, the elderly, and eligible groups…
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Poor countries to start vaccinating in February

Poor countries to start vaccinating in February

The World Health Organization has reached an agreement with Pfizer/BioNTech for 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine and should be able to start delivering vaccines to poor and lower-middle-income countries next month under its COVAX programme. The COVAX scheme, led by the WHO and the GAVI vaccine alliance, signed deals for hundreds of millions of doses to vaccinate people in poor and lower-middle-income countries, but vaccinations have yet to start. Pfizer's vaccine is so far the only one that has WHO emergency approval. "In this world we are as protected as our neighbour," said Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla, officially…
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1.8 billion vaccine doses for the poor

1.8 billion vaccine doses for the poor

KATE KELLAND  THE COVAX vaccine sharing platform designed to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 shots said it aimed to deliver 1.8 billion doses to poorer countries in 2021 and hoped to fulfil supply deals for wealthier ones in the second half of the year. But COVAX, which is co-led by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, said there were many uncertainties affecting the procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, and terms of the deals were "subject to change". The 1.8 billion doses would be supplied via an advance market commitment (AMC) to 92 eligible countries…
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EXCLUSIVE – COVID-19 shots to cost $3 to $10 in Africa

EXCLUSIVE – COVID-19 shots to cost $3 to $10 in Africa

DAVID LEWIS and ALEXANDER WINNING AFRICAN countries will pay between $3 and $10 per vaccine dose to access 270 million COVID-19 shots secured this month by the African Union (AU), according to a draft briefing on the plan prepared by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and provided to Reuters. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who serves as AU chair, said last week arrangements had been made with the bank to support member states who want access to vaccines. Countries can pay back the loans in instalments over five to seven years, the document showed. Afreximbank's press office declined to answer…
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WHO close to vaccine deal for the poor

WHO close to vaccine deal for the poor

EMMA FARGE and STEPHANIE NEBEHAY THE World Health Organization is in advanced negotiations with Pfizer to include the firm's COVID-19 shot in the body's vaccine-sharing scheme, which would speed vaccine deliveries to poorer countries, according to a senior WHO official. The COVAX scheme -- led by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance -- is due to start rolling out vaccines to poor and middle-income countries in February, with 2 of 3 billion doses expected to be delivered this year. "We are in ... detailed discussions with Pfizer. We believe very soon we will have access to that product," WHO senior…
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Egypt expects vaccines within weeks

Egypt expects vaccines within weeks

EGYPT expects to start receiving COVID-19 vaccines through the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance in the coming weeks, the health minister said yesterday. "GAVI will provide us with 20% of our needs. It will give us the urgent needs during the first quarter," Hala Zayed said in a televised briefing. "Within two or three weeks maximum there will be the beginning of the influx of GAVI vaccines, which largely will be AstraZeneca (vaccines)," she added. GAVI and the World Health Organisation have set up the COVAX initiative to secure fair vaccine access for lower and middle-income countries. Zayed said Egypt also…
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