EU TO DONATE AT LEAST 100M COVID VACCINE DOSES TO COVAX FACILITY

The European Union (EU) is planning to donate at least 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses to the global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX by the end of the year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, Johannes Neudecker reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

She announced the move at the Global Health Summit, a special online meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) of industrialized and emerging economies organized by the European Commission and Italy.

The COVAX program is a World Health Organization (WHO)-backed effort to deliver coronavirus vaccines for the world's neediest people even as it has been beset by shortages of doses.

The EU would also spend 1 billion euros ($1.21 billion) to support the construction of vaccine production plants in Africa, von der Leyen said.

The coronavirus crisis had shown the importance of international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said in his opening speech.

The EU and Italy, which currently holds the G20 presidency, are hosting the summit to enable participants to exchange insights gained during the pandemic. The goal of the online meeting was to agree on the "Rome Declaration," a paper setting guidelines for preventing future health crises and ensuring better preparation for such cases.

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