Geneva (AFP)

The World Health Organization and Pfizer-BioNTech announced on Friday an agreement that will provide 40 million doses of the pharmaceutical giant's anti-Covid-19 vaccine to underprivileged countries, through the Covax system.

The Covax system, set up to try to allow an equitable distribution of anti-Covid vaccines, therefore believes that it can begin the distribution of vaccines to these countries by the end of February.

The doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - 95% effective - will be provided "at cost price" and should be delivered during the first quarter, Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said during a press briefing with the WHO and the Alliance for Vaccines (Gavi), specifying that this is a "first" batch.

The parties have yet to reach a delivery agreement, they said in a statement.

Covax has also exercised an option with the Indian vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) for 100 million doses of the vaccine developed AstraZeneca / Oxford.

The majority of these doses should be delivered during the first trimester.

But first the WHO must give emergency approval to this vaccine and this manufacturer, around mid-February, said a joint statement from the WHO and the Alliance for Vaccines (Gavi).

Some 50 million additional doses of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine, which had already been agreed, are expected to be added next month as well.

But again on condition that the other laboratories, where it will also be manufactured, are approved by the WHO.

"Today marks another key milestone for Covax," said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, who is in charge of vaccine orders and deliveries at Covax.

If the still necessary agreements and approvals are granted, "we plan to start deliveries of anti-Covid-19 vaccines by the end of February," he added.

So far, only Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine has received emergency WHO approval, but several others are in final review stages.

As long as the arrival of effective vaccines against Covid-19 which has already killed more than 2 million people since it was reported in December 2019, in China, "is a light at the end of the tunnel", "it is not vaccines on their own that will help us put an end to this pandemic is vaccination, "said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"The rapid and equitable distribution of vaccines is not only a moral imperative it is also an imperative of health, strategic and economic security", he stressed.

The Covax system, led by WHO, Gavi and also the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), aims to provide by the end of 2021 anti-Covid vaccines to at least 20% of the population of participating countries, but above all it includes a funding mechanism that allows the 92 disadvantaged countries participating to have access to valuable doses.

If the vaccination campaigns began at the end of last year, the vast majority are carried out in the richest countries.

The needs are enormous to protect a sufficient percentage of the population and thus limit the ability of the virus that gives Covid-19 to spread.

Asked how many doses vaccine makers will be able to deliver this year, Seth Berkley replied, "I think we're talking about numbers in the 6 billion to 7 billion range."

WHO has also announced that it will launch again in January a window where disadvantaged countries can submit their detailed vaccination plan (who will receive the vaccines in priority, how and where they will be administered, etc.).

"This is a vital step before any allocation can be made, to ensure that the doses delivered will be effectively deployed and to detect where to provide more support, if necessary," the statement said.

© 2021 AFP