By Francesco Guarascio
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU member states have pledged to share about 160 million COVID-19 vaccines, but only a small portion has been shipped so far, according to an EU internal document reviewed by Reuters.
Out of the 160 million, just over 126 million will go to COVAX, a programme run by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) aimed at distributing shots fairly to the world’s poorest countries.
Some 15 million will go to COVAX with a preferred destination and 18 million doses will be donated direct to the country.
Below are some of the details of the top pledges:
France:
The country is by far the EU’s main donor in terms of pledges. It has promised 60 million doses, mostly to COVAX and largely without any preference on their final destination.
It has so far delivered only about 800,000 doses, half of which to its former colonies Senegal, Mauritania and Burkina Faso.
The document does not clarify which vaccines Paris has donated or intends to donate.
Germany:
The EU’s largest country has committed to donating 33 million doses, of which 30 million AstraZeneca and J&J shots will go to COVAX without a geographic preference.
The remaining three million will go to the western Balkans. The brand of vaccine is not decided.
Spain:
The third largest donor wants to share or re-sell 22.5 million doses of AstraZeneca, J&J and Moderna, a third of which should go to Latin American countries.
Italy:
The fourth main donor will give 15 million doses to COVAX without geographical preference.
The Netherlands:
The Netherlands has given away some of its Pfizer doses, but only to its Caribbean territories of Aruba, Curacao and Sint-Maarten.
It has donated AstraZeneca shots to Suriname, a former Dutch colony in South America, and the African island of Cape Verde.
It plans to donate some more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to Suriname and Curacao, and is committed to donating three million unspecified shots to Indonesia, a former colony.
Austria:
On behalf of the EU, it has distributed more than half a million Pfizer doses to Western Balkan countries, some of which have already been shipped, but they are re-sold and not donated.
Portugal:
Lisbon wants to donate a million doses only to Lusophone countries in Africa, and its former colonies of East Timor and Cape Verde.
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Writing by Josephine Mason)
