64 high-income nations join effort to expand global access to Covid-19 vaccines, but U.S. and China do not

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/21/64-high-income-nations-join-effort-to-expand-global-access-to-covid-19-vaccines-but-u-s-and-china-do-not/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=ed6626a530-MR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-ed6626a530-149692869

Nearly 160 countries join global effort for a Covid-19 vaccine

A total of 156 countries — representing 64% of the world's population — are now a part of the global collaborative aimed at ensuring accelerated access to Covid-19 vaccines. Missing from the list are the U.S. — which had previously indicated it would not take part in the COVAX facility —  along with Russia and China. The COVAX facility hopes to purchase 2 billion doses of a viable Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2021. So far, 64 high-income nations have signed on to COVAX. While their participation will be crucial to help fund the effort, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “working together through the COVAX Facility is not charity, it’s in every country’s own best interests to control the pandemic and accelerate the global economic recovery."