The central plan for getting COVID-19 vaccines to the poorer countries of the world is being run by COVAX, and 92 countries have signed up. The overall COVAX program is to prioritize 20% of the populations of these countries—assumedly healthcare workers and elderly, in particular—amounting to 2 billion vaccines. However, it has been unclear whether these countries will see anything significant until the wealthier countries dip at the trough first, leaving the coronavirus to run free and mutate at least until the fall or winter, if not later.
The speed at which AstraZeneca and Covavax can produce their vaccines may have the biggest immediate impact. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has arranged in partnership with the WHO’s vaccine equity projects (COVAX and GAVI) for 300 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and at least 200 million doses of the Novavax vaccine to be made available to the 92 countries that have signed up.
