ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom’s support to the global COVID-19 vaccine alliance Covax will help millions of Pakistanis against the novel coronavirus, the British High Commission in Islamabad said in a statement on Sunday, saying Pakistan would get seven million out of a promised 17 million doses of the UK-developed Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine before April.
The UK has so far committed £548 million to the global Covax initiative, making it the single largest donor to the alliance to ensure equitable supply of vaccines to poor nations. The over one billion dollar program was launched n April 2020 and is led by the World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Global Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
“Through the Covax facility, Pakistan will take delivery of 17m doses of the UK-developed Oxford University-Astra-Zeneca vaccine shortly, with the first 7m [million] expected before April,” the British high commission said. “The next 10m doses will come later, likely before June. This will help protect 8.5m people from the virus, which has already claimed over 12,000 lives in Pakistan.”
Overall, Covax has committed to supply Pakistan with vaccines for 45 million people this year alone.
“The people of the UK and Pakistan have come together to fight COVID-19,” British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner CMG said. “The Covax facility has been the main way the world has united to make sure all countries get the vaccines they need as quickly as possible, including Pakistan. The UK has been a world leader in supporting Covax, and Covax has committed to supplying Pakistan with COVID-19 vaccines for 45m people this year.”
He said the UK had provided £20 million in aid to Pakistan to help it fight the pandemic.
