Efforts to bring coronavirus vaccines to the poor faces obstacles

An ambitious humanitarian project to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the world’s poorest people is facing potential shortages of money, cargo planes, refrigeration and vaccines themselves. It is also running into scepticism even from some of those it is intended to help most. In one of the biggest obstacles, rich countries have locked up most of the world’s potential vaccine supply through 2021, and the US and others have refused to join the project, called Covax. Covax was conceived as a way of giving countries access to coronavirus vaccines regardless of their wealth. It is being led by the World Health Organization (WHO); Gavi, a public-private alliance, funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), another Gates-supported public-private collaboration. Covax’s aim is to buy two billion doses by the end of 2021, though it is not yet clear whether the successful vaccine will require one dose or two for the world’s 7.8 billion people. Countries taking part in the project can either buy vaccines from Covax or get them for free if needed. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">