Libya has contracted the COVAX Group to supply two million doses of the emerging coronavirus vaccine (COVID-19), Khalifa al-Bakouch, Chairman of the Pandemic Coronavirus Pandemic Advisory Commission, has announced.
In a statement on Sunday, Mr. al-Bakouch said that the group with which Libya has signed a contract operates under the supervision of the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to WHO, 172 countries and territories have now begun discussions to participate in the COVAX Mechanism (AMC COVAX Gavi), a global initiative to work with vaccine manufacturers to ensure that countries around the world have equitable access to safe and effective vaccines once they are licensed and approved.
COVAX currently covers the world’s broadest and most diverse range of COVID-19 vaccines, including nine candidate vaccines.
Mr. al-Bakouch announced that the vaccine will initially be provided to groups most vulnerable to the pandemic, such as medical teams, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
The coronavirus pandemic is spreading rapidly in Libya, which has recorded 82,430 confirmed cases.
The health authorities say 27,998 cases are active, 53,266 have been cured and 1,166 patients have died since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country last March. (PANA/NAN)
