An International Program Prepares to Deploy Coronavirus Vaccine to Millions

 

A program supported by the United Nations says it is ready to deploy¹ coronavirus vaccines³ to the neediest people, especially in poor countries. The COVAX program announced its plans last week to provide 100 million doses of vaccine² by the end of March. It expects to give out 200 million more doses by July.

Leaders of COVAX said most of the doses for the first distribution will come from British-Swedish drug maker⁴ AstraZeneca. The company's partner, the Serum⁵ Institute of India, will also provide doses of the same vaccine.

Frederik Kristensen co-leads the program Coalition⁶ for Epidemic⁷ Preparedness Innovation. He told a video news conference that the plans come at an important time as new forms of the coronavirus have appeared.

"We are on a path to really start balancing out" the problem of wealthy countries being vaccinated⁸ before poorer countries, he said.

Dr. Seth Berkley leads the international non-profit organization GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. It is administering the COVAX program along with the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Berkley said COVAX plans the first distribution of 336 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to go to several countries until June.

GAVI expects that nearly 100 million of those doses will start being distributed to targeted countries by the end of March, officials said.

Another 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from companies Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to be shared by 18 countries in the first three months of the year. The companies already have been selling and distributing their vaccine to wealthy countries.

"Of course, we would like more BioNTech vaccines in the first and second" parts of the year, said Berkley. "That is what we were offered given the demand and supply that was there."

Berkley noted¹⁰ that AstraZeneca vaccine's first distribution was 57 million doses fewer than had been planned. He said delays were caused by countries needing emergency use approval from the World Health Organization. He noted it was not a result of supply problems, like those in Europe.

The AstraZeneca vaccine distribution depends on the World Health Organization giving emergency use permission, which is expected this month. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is already approved. Supplying it to poorer nations is difficult because the vaccine must be stored at extremely cold temperatures.

GAVI pointed¹¹ to a number of issues that could still hurt plans for the distribution. The group said the plan requires regulatory approvals, supplies, coordination¹² and the readiness of countries to receive the vaccines.

About 190 countries and territories that are taking part in the COVAX plan have been waiting for details. That includes upper- and middle-income countries that have paid money and 93 lower-income countries which are expected to benefit.

India is expected to get most of the 240 million AstraZeneca doses that the Serum Institute is producing. Pakistan is to receive over 17 million, while Malawi is to get nearly 1.5 million doses and Haiti about 876,000.

A South Korean factory is producing another 96 million doses of the AstraZeneca product. Brazil is expected to receive over 10 million doses, Egypt more than 5.1 million, Iran over 4.2 million and Canada more than 1.9 million.

Henrietta Fore⁹ is executive director of UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency. She announced a long-term supply deal with the Serum Institute for the AstraZeneca vaccine and one from U.S. drug maker Novavax. It will provide to up to 1.1 billion doses of vaccine for 100 countries. The cost to lower- and middle-income countries is to be about $3 a dose.

Words in This Story

dose –n. the amount of a medicine or vaccine needed to prevent or cure sickness

distribution –n. a specific effort to give or deliver something, a good or product, to a large number of people

phase –n. a step in a process; one part in a series of related actions

regulatory –adj. making or concerned with making official rules about what is acceptable in a particular business or activity such as medicine

income –n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, or similar activities

benefit –n. a good, helpful or useful result

1 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

2 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

3 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 serum   

n.浆液，血清，乳浆

参考例句：

• The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。
• Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质，共11种，称为补体。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

8 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

9 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。