TOKYO: Japan’s health ministry said on Tuesday it planned to participate in the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 vaccine programme known as COVAX.
A ministry official told reporters Japan would join COVAX, which had an Aug. 31 deadline for countries to express interest. The decision is non-binding, the official said, and financial contributions would be decided ahead of a Sept. 18 deadline.
The COVAX programme, launched in late April, is designed to serve as an insurance policy to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines. Participation has been uncertain as several wealthier nations, including Japan and the United States, have struck their own deals for vaccines.
Also Watch
JEE Main Exams Commences With Masks, Sanitisers & Social Distancing At Centres | CNN News18
Through overseas deals and domestic production, Japan is on track to have more than 500 million doses of six different COVID-19 vaccines by next year for its population of 126 million.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
LIVE TV
