More than 170 countries have joined COVAX vaccine facility, WHO says

On Sep 17, 2020

GENEVA, Jan. 23, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Jan. 22, 2020 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO on Wednesday night extended to Thursday its emergency talks on whether the novel coronavirus outbreak in China constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). (Xinhua/Liu Qu/IANS)

More than 170 countries have joined the World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility to boost development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the body’s director general.

“More than 170 countries have joined the COVAX facility, gaining guaranteed access to the world’s largest portfolio of vaccine candidates,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in pre-recorded comments in a webinar ahead of Friday’s deadline to join the facility.