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* COVAX alliance announces new COVID-19 vaccine agreements
* Agreements are now in place for nearly 2 billion doses
* WHO chief hails announcement as "fantastic news"
(Adds details, quotes, COVAX in talks with Pfizer and Moderna)
By Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland
GENEVA/LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The COVAX alliance which
aims to secure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines for poor
countries said on Friday it now had agreements in place for
nearly 2 billion doses, roughly doubling its supply, with the
first deliveries due in early 2021.
The initiative, co-led by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the
World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said it aimed to deliver 1.3
billion doses of approved vaccines next year to 92 eligible low-
and middle-income economies.
All 190 economies that have signed up to COVAX will "have
access to doses in the first half of 2021, with first deliveries
anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2021 – contingent
upon regulatory approvals and countries’ readiness for
delivery," it said in a statement.
"Today’s announcements offer the clearest pathway yet to end
the acute phase of the pandemic by protecting the most
vulnerable populations around the world."
New agreements announced on Friday include an advance
purchase agreement with AstraZeneca for 170 million
doses, and a memorandum of understanding for 500 million doses
from Johnson & Johnson.
Richard Hatchett, CEPI's chief executive, said the COVAX
alliance was also in talks with Pfizer and BioNtech
- whose COVID-19 won regulatory approval in the
United States last week and in Britain this month. The group is
also in talks with Moderna, which expects to have its
COVID-19 vaccine approved shortly, he said.
Getting vaccine doses to poor countries is a huge challenge,
with wealthy countries determined to vaccinate their entire
populations as quickly as possible. COVAX is funded by donor
countries, multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and
private charities such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said
Friday's announcement of extra COVID-19 vaccine doses for COVAX
was "fantastic news and a milestone in global health".
GAVI's chief executive, Seth Berkley, said the goal of
providing global, equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines
was "alive and well". But he added: "We still need more doses,
and yes, we still need more money."
COVAX was launched by GAVI and the WHO in April to ensure
access for COVID-19 shots to poor and middle-income countries.
(Additional reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt, Editing by
Peter Graff and Timothy Heritage)
