AstraZeneca starts mass global rollout of COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX

The first of many millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) COVID-19 vaccine have begun arriving in low and middle-income countries across the world through the multilateral COVAX initiative, the first steps in fulfilling the company’s efforts to provide broad and equitable access to the vaccine.

With its partner the Serum Institute of India, the Anglo-Swedish drug major says it will become the biggest supplier to COVAX, the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines for the novel coronavirus for all countries, regardless of income levels, which is led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

First COVAX shipments were dispatched late last week to Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire, and more are due to begin arriving this week in countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Fiji, Mongolia and Moldova. This supply represents the first COVID-19 vaccine for many of these countries.