- G7 will donate one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, which will be used to help vaccinate the world’s poorer countries
- Britain will also donate 100 million surplus shots while the US will donate 500 million Pfizer doses
- So far, the UK has administered initial doses to 77 per cent of its adult population while the US has given first shots to 64 per cent
- Some groups have dismissed the plan as insufficient, with Oxfam estimating that almost four billion people depend on the COVAX program
- COVID-19 has killed 3.9 million people and torn apart the global economy, with infections reported in more than 210 countries and territories
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he expects the Group of Seven to agree on a donation of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, which will be used to help vaccinate the world’s poorer countries.
He added that Britain would give at least 100 million of its surplus shots, just hours after US President Joe Biden vowed to boost the fight against COVID-19 by donating 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Those British doses will come from existing supplies that were procured for the country’s own inoculation program, with additional shots to come from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen, Moderna and others.
So far, the UK has administered initial doses to 77 per cent of its adult population while the US has given first shots to 64 per cent.
Johnson’s remarks come just prior to the start of a three-day G7 summit in the English seaside resort of Carbis Bay.
“As a result of the success of the UK’s vaccine programme we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them,” Johnson will say on Friday, according to excerpts of the announcement released by his office.
“In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good.”
However, some campaign groups have dismissed the plan as insufficient, with Oxfam estimating that almost four billion people depend on the COVAX program — which distributes COVID-19 shots to low- and middle-income countries — for vaccines.
With a global population nearing eight billion and the majority of people needing two doses — as well as potential booster shots to tackle variants — campaigners said the commitments were a start but that world leaders needed to go much further, and much faster.
“The G7’s aim to provide one billion doses should be seen as an absolute minimum, and the timeframe needs to speed up,” said Lis Wallace at anti-poverty campaign group ONE.
“We’re in a race with this virus and the longer it’s in the lead the greater the risk of new, more dangerous variants undermining global progress.”
COVID-19 has killed roughly 3.9 million people to date and torn apart the global economy, with infections reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the very first cases were reported in China in December 2019.