COVAX to set aside 5 pct of vaccine doses for emergency stockpile: GAVI
March 23, 2021, 10:32 am

COVAX to set aside 5 pct of vaccine doses for emergency stockpile: GAVI

Workers offload the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines under the COVAX scheme against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Aden Abdulle Osman Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia March 15, 2021. (File photo: Reuters)

The COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme will set aside 5 percent of the vaccine doses it procures for a “buffer” to be used in humanitarian settings or released in the case of severe outbreaks, the GAVI vaccine alliance said on Tuesday.

That amounts to up to 100 million vaccine doses by the end of 2021, it said.

COVAX is the program backed by the World Health Organization and GAVI vaccine alliance to provide vaccines for poor and middle-income countries. So far, 31 million doses have been delivered to 57 economies, although the rates trail behind wealthier countries, revealing inequity that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described this week as “grotesque”.

GAVI said that the reserve doses would be used in areas where there were “unavoidable gaps in coverage”, such as conflict zones and areas controlled by armed groups inaccessible to governments.

“As we have started the rollout of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX economies, it is essential to also protect high-risk groups caught in crisis settings,” said Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI.

The contingency doses could also be used as part of an “emergency release” to quell severe outbreaks of COVID-19 where regular vaccine allocation timelines are insufficient, it said. Those doses will only, however, be available once all COVAX participants have received their early doses.

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

Levant

UAE records 2,172 new COVID-19 cases, six deaths in 24 hours Czech Republic’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 25,000, doubling in 2021

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”