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Leaders of the G7 group of wealthy democracies promised on Sunday to send 870 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to the developing world over the next year.
The doses would be made available “as soon as possible,” with at least half coming by the end of the year, channeled through the COVAX vaccine-sharing pool to “those in greatest need,” the leaders said in a communiqué at the end of a summit in Cornwall, southwest England.
The U.S. had previously already pledged 500 million doses, with another 100 million coming from the U.K.
The communiqué noted that donations made by the governments since they last met in February provide “for one billion doses over the next year.”
The announcement comes as health leaders sound alarm bells over a shortfall in vaccine doses for the developing world. On Saturday, World Health Organization boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the G7 countries, noting that while they were achieving success in getting the coronavirus pandemic under control, “many other countries are now facing a surge in cases — and they are facing it without vaccines.”
He said that to vaccinate 70 percent of the world’s population, a total of 11 billion doses would be needed.
G7 leaders diverged on whether or not to enforce intellectual property rights for vaccine patents. Some countries, including the U.S. and France, have expressed support for a waiver that would allow developing countries to use the IP for themselves. Others, like Germany and the U.K., remain opposed to the measure — which is also the European Commission’s official stance.
On Saturday, the G7 pledged to speed up efforts for vaccine development for the next pandemic — aiming to get vaccines out of the lab and approved in just 100 days, under plans presented by Melinda French Gates and Patrick Vallance, the United Kingdom’s chief scientific adviser.
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