The COVAX vaccine sharing platform expects to have 25 million coronavirus vaccine doses for the Eastern Mediterranean region in March, rising to 355 million doses by December, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Wednesday.
The first doses provided for the region through COVAX will arrive in February, WHO official Yvan Hutin told reporters.
COVAX is co-led by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the WHO and others, and is designed to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations globally. COVAX has said it aims to deliver 1.8 billion doses to poorer countries this year.
At least five countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region will benefit from the first wave of COVAX vaccines, said Richard Brennan, a second WHO official.
Countries with larger populations, lower income and weaker health systems that are expected to make slower progress vaccinating will be prioritized in the COVAX vaccine rollout, officials said.
Ten countries in the region have documented one or more coronavirus variants, though it’s likely that the variants have spread further, Brennan said.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari said that vaccinations have already commenced in eight countries across the region, targeting high-risk groups.
“But we need to ensure fair and equitable access and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to all countries, and especially for vulnerable people living in the toughest of humanitarian contexts.”
Al-Mandhari said testing capacity for COVID-19 was expanded and enhanced, from 20 laboratories with PCR testing capacity across the Region at the beginning of 2020, to over 450 laboratories by the end of the year.
Intensive and critical care capacities in all countries were strengthened through training and mentoring by regional experts, and infection and prevention control (IPC) practices were promoted through the establishing of strong IPC policy and programs at national and subnational levels, he stated.
“Our logistics hub in Dubai proved instrumental in ensuring that essential supplies were delivered to all countries, especially those facing complex emergencies. Close to 440 shipments of medical supplies were delivered to 110 countries across all 6 WHO regions. This is a huge increase in operations compared to 2019, when the hub delivered 92 shipments of medical supplies to 22 countries across 3 WHO regions,” he added.