US, UK, EU, Japan so far secure about 1.3bn doses of potential COVID immunizations

August 3, 2020  10:28

The US, Britain, European Union, and Japan have so far secured about 1.3 billion doses of potential COVID immunizations, according to London-based analytics firm Airfinity, Bloomberg reported.

Moves by the US and U.K. to secure supplies from Sanofi and partner GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and another pact between Japan and Pfizer Inc., are the latest in a string of agreements. The EU has also been aggressive in obtaining shots, well before anyone knows whether they will work.

Although international groups and a number of nations are promising to make vaccines affordable and accessible to all, doses will likely struggle to keep up with demand in a world of roughly 7.8 billion people. The possibility wealthier countries will monopolize supply, a scenario that played out in the 2009 swine flu pandemic, has fueled concerns among poor nations and health advocates.

What’s also important to consider is that most of these vaccines may require two doses.

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