India's neighborhood will get the first consignments of Covid vaccines as New Delhi on Monday announced the resumption of vaccine export initiative, Vaccine Maitri. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Health minister Mansukh Mandviya said, "In the 4th quarter, after completing our needs, we will produce more. Excess production will help in taking Vaccine Maitri forward. In the 4th quarter under the Vaccine Maitri, we will help the world and fulfill our responsibilities with the COVAX." &nbsp;

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Breaking: India announces resumption of vaccine maitri (Covid vaccine export). Indian health minister <a href="https://twitter.com/mansukhmandviya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mansukhmandviya</a> announces resumption from 4th Quarter of this year. <a href="https://t.co/svyEtXduBm">pic.twitter.com/svyEtXduBm</a>
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The minister explained that in September, Indian companies will produce 260 million doses of the Covid vaccines. India has also steadily increased vaccination as the authorities have administered over 808.5 million vaccine doses so far. &nbsp;

India began ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative in January, with the first tranche of Indian vaccines being sent to Maldives, Bhutan, followed by other countries in the neighbourhood. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/do-your-own-research-four-words-hurting-us-response-to-covid-says-report-414459" hreflang="en">'Do your own research': Four words hurting US response to Covid, says report</a>

India's vaccine outreach to the world started within four days of it starting its mega domestic vaccination programme on January 16. The initiative was suspended as India grappled with second wave of deadly Covid pandemic in April.&nbsp;

So far under the initiative, India has sent vaccines to 95 countries of the world. The total amount of vaccines supplied so far is 66.3698 million doses-- of which, 10.715 million doses have been via grant, 35.792 million doses commercially and 19.8628 million doses to COVAX.&nbsp;

India's neighborhood will get the first consignments of Covid vaccines as New Delhi on Monday announced the resumption of vaccine export initiative, Vaccine Maitri.

India's neighborhood will get the first consignments of Covid vaccines as New Delhi on Monday announced the resumption of vaccine export initiative, Vaccine Maitri. Health minister Mansukh Mandviya said, "In the 4th quarter, after completing our needs, we will produce more. Excess production will help in taking Vaccine Maitri forward. In the 4th quarter under the Vaccine Maitri, we will help the world and fulfill our responsibilities with the COVAX." Breaking: India announces resumption of vaccine maitri (Covid vaccine export). Indian health minister @mansukhmandviya announces resumption from 4th Quarter of this year. pic.twitter.com/svyEtXduBm — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) September 20, 2021 × The minister explained that in September, Indian companies will produce 260 million doses of the Covid vaccines. India has also steadily increased vaccination as the authorities have administered over 808.5 million vaccine doses so far. India began ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative in January, with the first tranche of Indian vaccines being sent to Maldives, Bhutan, followed by other countries in the neighbourhood. Also Read | 'Do your own research': Four words hurting US response to Covid, says report India's vaccine outreach to the world started within four days of it starting its mega domestic vaccination programme on January 16. The initiative was suspended as India grappled with second wave of deadly Covid pandemic in April. So far under the initiative, India has sent vaccines to 95 countries of the world. The total amount of vaccines supplied so far is 66.3698 million doses-- of which, 10.715 million doses have been via grant, 35.792 million doses commercially and 19.8628 million doses to COVAX.

Neighbourhood to get first tranche as India announces resumption of Covid vaccine export  

A major influx of vaccination doses is expected to come through for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covax-delivers-over-20-million-doses-to-20-nations-368420">Covax</a> over the coming months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 250 million doses of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</a> will be donated within six to eight weeks, it said.

With more than 152 million doses distributed thus far to 137 participating territories, the scheme aims to provide vaccines to poorer countries, and the inflow of doses will be a major boost.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-distribute-80-million-vaccine-doses-through-covax-india-included-in-list-white-house-389263">US to distribute 80 million vaccine doses through Covax; India included in list: White House</a>

In a weekly operational update issued Wednesday, the WHO said that at a recent UN Crisis Management Team meeting that there will be increased vaccine donations to the Covax facility, projecting an additional 250 million vaccines over the next six to eight weeks".

Covax is a vaccine distribution programme co-led by the World Health Organization, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF handling the vaccine delivery flights through its vaccine logistics expertise.

92 of the world's poorest countries can get vaccinations free of charge through Covax, the cost of which is supported by donors.

Plants in India that produced AstraZeneca doses were to be Covax's early backbone, but India restricted exports because of its own devastating Coronavirus outbreak.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/give-at-least-50-of-vaccine-doses-to-covax-programme-who-390032">Give at least 50% of vaccine doses to Covax programme: WHO</a>

Consequently, Covax is increasingly dependent on donations from wealthy countries, that have purchased more batches than they need.

Gavi chief executive Seth Berkley emphasized the importance of higher vaccine coverage everywhere in order to protect the most vulnerable against the emergence of new disease variants. He stated that global vaccine demand and supply are far imbalanced, leaving millions unprotected.

Inequity surrounding vaccines

Several countries have begun vaccinating children and giving additional booster vaccinations to it's citizens, while others have so far not been able to vaccinate their health care workers and elderly, who are most at risk of acquiring serious diseases.

It is a matter of grave concern to the WHO that rich and poor nations have starkly different access to COVID-19 vaccines.

To provide full protection, most Covid vaccines require two shots.&nbsp; Among high-income countries, as classified by the World Bank, 96.7 doses have been administered per 100 residents.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/united-states-donates-153-million-johnson-johnson-vaccines-to-nepal-397680">United States donates 1.53 million Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines to Nepal</a>

In the 29 lowest-income countries, the average dose per 100 people is only 1.6.

On Wednesday, Tanzania was expected to begin rolling out vaccinations, leaving only Burundi, Eritrea and North Korea without COVID-19 immunization campaigns.

Covax delivered over a million single-shot vaccines donated by the United States to Tanzania on Saturday.

A total of 610 million doses are expected to be donated to Covax between 2021 and 2022.

The United States accounts for 260 million of those, while the European Union accounts for 200 million, Britain accounts for 80 million, and Canada and Japan account for about 30 million each.

(With inputs from agencies)

A major influx of vaccination doses is expected to come through for Covax over the coming months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 250 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be donated within six to eight weeks, it said.

A major influx of vaccination doses is expected to come through for Covax over the coming months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 250 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be donated within six to eight weeks, it said. With more than 152 million doses distributed thus far to 137 participating territories, the scheme aims to provide vaccines to poorer countries, and the inflow of doses will be a major boost. Also read | US to distribute 80 million vaccine doses through Covax; India included in list: White House In a weekly operational update issued Wednesday, the WHO said that at a recent UN Crisis Management Team meeting that there will be increased vaccine donations to the Covax facility, projecting an additional 250 million vaccines over the next six to eight weeks". Covax is a vaccine distribution programme co-led by the World Health Organization, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF handling the vaccine delivery flights through its vaccine logistics expertise. 92 of the world's poorest countries can get vaccinations free of charge through Covax, the cost of which is supported by donors. Plants in India that produced AstraZeneca doses were to be Covax's early backbone, but India restricted exports because of its own devastating Coronavirus outbreak. Also read | Give at least 50% of vaccine doses to Covax programme: WHO Consequently, Covax is increasingly dependent on donations from wealthy countries, that have purchased more batches than they need. Gavi chief executive Seth Berkley emphasized the importance of higher vaccine coverage everywhere in order to protect the most vulnerable against the emergence of new disease variants. He stated that global vaccine demand and supply are far imbalanced, leaving millions unprotected. Inequity surrounding vaccines Several countries have begun vaccinating children and giving additional booster vaccinations to it's citizens, while others have so far not been able to vaccinate their health care workers and elderly, who are most at risk of acquiring serious diseases. It is a matter of grave concern to the WHO that rich and poor nations have starkly different access to COVID-19 vaccines. To provide full protection, most Covid vaccines require two shots. Among high-income countries, as classified by the World Bank, 96.7 doses have been administered per 100 residents. Also read | United States donates 1.53 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines to Nepal In the 29 lowest-income countries, the average dose per 100 people is only 1.6. On Wednesday, Tanzania was expected to begin rolling out vaccinations, leaving only Burundi, Eritrea and North Korea without COVID-19 immunization campaigns. Covax delivered over a million single-shot vaccines donated by the United States to Tanzania on Saturday. A total of 610 million doses are expected to be donated to Covax between 2021 and 2022. The United States accounts for 260 million of those, while the European Union accounts for 200 million, Britain accounts for 80 million, and Canada and Japan account for about 30 million each. (With inputs from agencies)

Covax expects 250 million donated doses in six to eight weeks: WHO

The&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization&nbsp;said Wednesday that the&nbsp;number of global deaths from coronavirus&nbsp;jumped 21 per cent&nbsp;over the past week.

''The highest numbers of deaths per 100,000 population over the past week were observed in the Americas and South-East Asia Regions which reported 2.8 and 1.1 new deaths per 100,000 population, respectively,'' the&nbsp;UN health agency said.

Over the past week, the&nbsp;overall COVID-19 cases across the globe also jumped by 8 per cent&nbsp;as about 540,000 daily infections were reported on average.

WHO has warned ''if these trends continue, the cumulative number of cases reported globally could exceed 200 million in the next two weeks.''

Only 1.1 per cent&nbsp;of people in these countries have received at least one dose, compared to 26.9 per cent&nbsp;of the total&nbsp;world&nbsp;population, according to figures from Our&nbsp;World&nbsp;in Data.

Global&nbsp;health&nbsp;experts warn that the pandemic will continue to spread and spawn new variants until larger numbers of people across the globe are vaccinated.

While some countries are considering vaccinating children and giving booster jabs, others have so far been unable to vaccinate the elderly,&nbsp;the age group most vulnerable to developing serious disease and&nbsp;health&nbsp;care workers.

In a weekly operational update issued Wednesday, the WHO said that at a recent UN Crisis Management Team meeting it "reported that there will be increased vaccine donations to the Covax facility, projecting an additional 250 million vaccines over the next six to eight weeks".

Covax is co-led by the WHO, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF using its vaccine logistics expertise to handle the delivery flights.

Under Covax, the 92 poorest countries can access jabs for free, with donors covering the cost.

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the number of global deaths from coronavirus jumped 21 per cent over the past week. ''The highest numbers of deaths per 100,000 population over the past week were observed in the Americas and South-East Asia Regions which reported 2.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the number of global deaths from coronavirus jumped 21 per cent over the past week. ''The highest numbers of deaths per 100,000 population over the past week were observed in the Americas and South-East Asia Regions which reported 2.8 and 1.1 new deaths per 100,000 population, respectively,'' the UN health agency said. Over the past week, the overall COVID-19 cases across the globe also jumped by 8 per cent as about 540,000 daily infections were reported on average. WHO has warned ''if these trends continue, the cumulative number of cases reported globally could exceed 200 million in the next two weeks.'' Only 1.1 per cent of people in these countries have received at least one dose, compared to 26.9 per cent of the total world population, according to figures from Our World in Data. Global health experts warn that the pandemic will continue to spread and spawn new variants until larger numbers of people across the globe are vaccinated. While some countries are considering vaccinating children and giving booster jabs, others have so far been unable to vaccinate the elderly, the age group most vulnerable to developing serious disease and health care workers. In a weekly operational update issued Wednesday, the WHO said that at a recent UN Crisis Management Team meeting it "reported that there will be increased vaccine donations to the Covax facility, projecting an additional 250 million vaccines over the next six to eight weeks". Covax is co-led by the WHO, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF using its vaccine logistics expertise to handle the delivery flights. Under Covax, the 92 poorest countries can access jabs for free, with donors covering the cost. (With inputs from agencies)

Coronavirus deaths surge by 21% , cases can exceed 200 million in two weeks: WHO

The International Monetary Fund said Friday that its executive board approved a plan to issue $650 billion worth of reserve funds, essentially creating money that troubled countries can use to purchase vaccines, finance health care and pay down debt.

The new allocation of so-called Special Drawing Rights would be the largest such expansion of currency reserves in the IMF’s history. If given final approval by the IMF’s board of governors, as is expected, the reserves could become available by the end of August.

“This is a shot in the arm for the world,” Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said in a statement. “The SDR allocation will help every IMF member country — particularly vulnerable countries — and strengthen their response to the COVID-19 crisis.”

Georgieva made the announcement as finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 nations were gathering in Venice to discuss international tax reform, climate change and the global economic response to the pandemic. The IMF, established in 1944 to try to broker economic cooperation, has warned of a two-track economic recovery, with poor countries being left behind while advanced economies experience rapid expansions.

It remains to be seen how far the $650 billion will go to help developing countries as they race to vaccinate people before new variants of the virus take hold, including the Delta variant, which has plunged many countries back into a health crisis.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development called last month for $1 trillion worth of Special Drawing Rights to be made available by the IMF as a “helicopter money drop for those being left behind.”

The United States has thrown its support behind the expansion of the IMF reserves, reversing a Trump administration policy and angering Republican lawmakers in the process.

The Trump administration balked at the proposal last year and prevented it from moving forward. It argued at the time that boosting the emergency reserves was an inefficient way to provide aid to poor countries and that doing so would provide more resources to advanced economies that do not need the help, like China and Russia. Republican lawmakers have since accused the Biden administration of bolstering the fortunes of adversaries, while doing little to actually help developing nations.

Under Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the U.S. has taken a different view and now supports the allocation. Yellen believes that rich countries will have little use for the SDRs but that developing economies will be able to use them to access enough money to vaccinate their people.

Special Drawing Rights work by allowing member countries of the IMF to cash the asset in for hard currency. Their value is based on a basket of international currencies and is reset every five years.

Each of the 190 countries that is a member of the IMF gets an allotment of SDRs based on their shares in the fund, which tracks with the size of a country’s economy. The new reserves would also be distributed under this formula, with the largest economic powers like the United States gaining the biggest tranche.

The drawing rights cannot be used to buy things on their own, but they can be traded for currencies that can. If two countries agree, they can trade their Special Drawing Rights for cash, with the IMF acting as a middleman to facilitate the trade.

That has prompted some criticism that the program will not work unless rich countries voluntarily transfer their holdings to poorer nations. To address some of those concerns, the IMF is working to develop a new trust fund where rich countries can channel their excess SDRs. The goal is to create a $100 billion pot of money that poor countries take loans from so that they can expand health care systems or address climate change in conjunction with existing IMF programs.

The U.S. has previously indicated it will make available about one-fifth of its allocation, worth about $20 billion. At the urging of the U.S., the IMF is also working to create greater transparency around how the assets are being used so that is clear that U.S. adversaries are not benefiting from the proceeds.

The International Monetary Fund said Friday that its executive board approved a plan to issue $650 billion worth of reserve funds, essentially creating money that troubled countries can use to purchase vaccines, finance health care and pay down debt.

The International Monetary Fund said Friday that its executive board approved a plan to issue $650 billion worth of reserve funds, essentially creating money that troubled countries can use to purchase vaccines, finance health care and pay down debt. The new allocation of so-called Special Drawing Rights would be the largest such expansion of currency reserves in the IMF’s history. If given final approval by the IMF’s board of governors, as is expected, the reserves could become available by the end of August. “This is a shot in the arm for the world,” Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said in a statement. “The SDR allocation will help every IMF member country — particularly vulnerable countries — and strengthen their response to the COVID-19 crisis.” Georgieva made the announcement as finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 nations were gathering in Venice to discuss international tax reform, climate change and the global economic response to the pandemic. The IMF, established in 1944 to try to broker economic cooperation, has warned of a two-track economic recovery, with poor countries being left behind while advanced economies experience rapid expansions. It remains to be seen how far the $650 billion will go to help developing countries as they race to vaccinate people before new variants of the virus take hold, including the Delta variant, which has plunged many countries back into a health crisis. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development called last month for $1 trillion worth of Special Drawing Rights to be made available by the IMF as a “helicopter money drop for those being left behind.” The United States has thrown its support behind the expansion of the IMF reserves, reversing a Trump administration policy and angering Republican lawmakers in the process. The Trump administration balked at the proposal last year and prevented it from moving forward. It argued at the time that boosting the emergency reserves was an inefficient way to provide aid to poor countries and that doing so would provide more resources to advanced economies that do not need the help, like China and Russia. Republican lawmakers have since accused the Biden administration of bolstering the fortunes of adversaries, while doing little to actually help developing nations. Under Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the U.S. has taken a different view and now supports the allocation. Yellen believes that rich countries will have little use for the SDRs but that developing economies will be able to use them to access enough money to vaccinate their people. Special Drawing Rights work by allowing member countries of the IMF to cash the asset in for hard currency. Their value is based on a basket of international currencies and is reset every five years. Each of the 190 countries that is a member of the IMF gets an allotment of SDRs based on their shares in the fund, which tracks with the size of a country’s economy. The new reserves would also be distributed under this formula, with the largest economic powers like the United States gaining the biggest tranche. The drawing rights cannot be used to buy things on their own, but they can be traded for currencies that can. If two countries agree, they can trade their Special Drawing Rights for cash, with the IMF acting as a middleman to facilitate the trade. That has prompted some criticism that the program will not work unless rich countries voluntarily transfer their holdings to poorer nations. To address some of those concerns, the IMF is working to develop a new trust fund where rich countries can channel their excess SDRs. The goal is to create a $100 billion pot of money that poor countries take loans from so that they can expand health care systems or address climate change in conjunction with existing IMF programs. The U.S. has previously indicated it will make available about one-fifth of its allocation, worth about $20 billion. At the urging of the U.S., the IMF is also working to create greater transparency around how the assets are being used so that is clear that U.S. adversaries are not benefiting from the proceeds.

IMF board backs $650 billion aid plan to help poor countries

The hopes of an inoculation drive in poor nations now hinge on access to vaccine supplies. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has redoubled pleas for vaccine makers to provide COVID-19 shots to its COVAX programme for poor nations.

WHO: Inoculation drive in poor nations hinges on vaccine supplies

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Neighbourhood to get first tranche as India announces resumption of Covid vaccine export

Covax expects 250 million donated doses in six to eight weeks: WHO

Coronavirus deaths surge by 21% , cases can exceed 200 million in two weeks: WHO

IMF board backs $650 billion aid plan to help poor countries

WHO: Inoculation drive in poor nations hinges on vaccine supplies