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By Emma Farge
GENEVA, May 17 (Reuters) - The head of the World Health
Organization called on manufacturers to make COVID-19 vaccine
doses available to the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility earlier
than planned due to a supply shortfall left by Indian export
disruptions.
COVAX, which supplies doses to poorer countries, relies
heavily on India's Serum Institute's exports of the AstraZeneca
jab but many of these are instead being used by the
country as it battles a massive second wave of infections.
The head of UNICEF on Monday asked G7 countries to donate
supplies as an emergency measure to make up the shortfall
estimated at 140 million doses by end-May.
"While we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca who have been
steadily increasing the speed and volume of their deliveries, we
need other manufacturers to follow suit," WHO Director-General
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing.
Specifically, he asked Pfizer to bring forward
deliveries of some 40 million doses in the second half of the
year and asked Moderna to make doses pledged for 2022
available this year.
"We need doses right now and call on them to bring forward
deliveries as soon as possible," he said.
(Editing by Michael Shields)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
