WHO Calls on Big Pharma To Speed up COVID-19 Vaccine Donation

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday criticized big pharmaceutical companies for dragging their feet on donating vaccines to developing countries.

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"We want manufacturing companies to join AstraZeneca's effort," said WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, referring to the company that has donated the most doses to the COVAX program so far.

He mentioned that Pfizer pledged to donate 40 million doses "but most of it would be in the second half of 2021, and we need those doses now."

Similar is the case with the agreements between WHO and Moderna, which pledged to donate 500 million doses in 2022.

"We urgently need hundreds of millions of doses in 2021 given the delicate timing of the pandemic," the WHO director stressed.

Tedros also called on the Serum Institute of India to donate as soon as possible, once the COVID-19 wave subsides in its country.

So far, the COVAX program has delivered 65 million COVID-19 vaccines in 140 countries. At the current rate of distribution, however, it will fall short of its target of delivering an additional 190 million doses by June.