UK donating tens of millions of Covid jabs to developing nations
The Prime Minister has said the UK is set to donate tens of millions of coronavirus vaccines to developing nations.
An additional 10 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab will be donated over the coming weeks through the COVAX programme. This means the total sent for the year will hit 30.6m.
There will be a further 20m doses sent over next year, plus all 20m doses the UK ordered of the Janssen vaccine. The Janssen vaccine has not been chosen for the UK’s own vaccine rollout.
This means the UK will soon be 70 per cent of the way towards meeting its target of delivering 100m surplus doses by the middle of 2022.
Boris Johnson is expected to tell world leaders at the G20 summit an expansive vaccine rollout is necessary to accelerate the post-Covid economic recovery.
Downing Street said Johnson is expected to tell world leaders in Rome: “Like a waking giant, the world economy is stirring back to life. But the pace of recovery will depend on how quickly we can overcome Covid.
“Our first priority as the G20 must be to press ahead with the rapid, equitable and global distribution of vaccines.”
At the G20 summit, it is hoped world leaders will agree on commitments to cut emissions, ahead of climate talks in Glasgow at the United Nations COP26 summit.