British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the United Kingdom will donate 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to developing countries as part of efforts to share vaccines with countries that sorely lack them.
Mr. Johnson made the announcement as he arrived in Rome for a summit of Group of 20 leaders , which started on Saturday.
The U.K. says 10 million doses have been sent to the United Nations-backed COVAX vaccine-sharing program, and 10 million more will follow in the coming weeks.
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They join 10 million doses that have already been delivered, and form part of Britain’s commitment to share 100 million doses with needier nations by mid-2022.
Push to vaccinate
Mr. Johnson urged the club of economic powers to push to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022, saying that “our first priority as the G-20 must be to press ahead with the rapid, equitable and global distribution of vaccines.”
Britain and other wealthy nations have been accused of hoarding more vaccines than they need, while some countries, especially in Africa, have few or none.
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a World Health Organization (WHO) health envoy, has urged G-20 nations to speed things up and airlift unused doses to the developing world.
The British leader is also hoping to focus the G-20’s minds on climate commitments as he prepares to host a United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, which starts on Sunday.
