The Guardian: ‘Landmark moment’: 156 countries agree to Covid vaccine allocation deal
“A coalition of 156 countries has agreed [to] a ‘landmark’ deal to enable the rapid and equitable global distribution of any new coronavirus vaccines to 3% of participating countries’ populations, to protect vulnerable health care systems, frontline health workers, and those in social care settings. The Covid-19 vaccine allocation plan — co-led by the World Health Organization and known as Covax — has been set up to ensure that the research, purchase, and distribution of any new vaccine is shared equally between the world’s richest countries and those in the developing world…” (Beaumont, 9/21).

STAT: 64 high-income nations join effort to expand global access to Covid-19 vaccines, but U.S. and China do not
“…Not among the countries: the United States, which had previously said it is not taking part in the so-called COVAX Facility, or Russia nor China, both of which have already issued emergency use licenses for Covid-19 vaccines. … The initiative is being organized by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, in addition to the WHO. The Trump administration cited the involvement of the WHO, which it plans [its] withdrawal from by next July, as its reason for not participating…” (Branswell, 9/21).

Washington Post: World Health Organization unveils plan for distributing coronavirus vaccine, urges cooperation
“…Under the plan, rich and poor countries pool money to provide manufacturers with volume guarantees for a slate of vaccine candidates. The idea is to discourage hoarding and focus on vaccinating high-risk people in every participating country first. … A proposed allocation framework, published Monday, addresses a question critical to every country: Once there’s a safe and effective vaccine, how do you divvy it up? The WHO’s answer is a two-phase plan that will be closely studied and assessed…” (Rauhala, 9/21).

Additional coverage of COVAX is available from Bloomberg, CIDRAP News, France 24, Reuters, Science, U.N. News, VOA News, and Xinhua.