Daily COIVD Tracker: Nigeria records 43 infections, and vaccine galore for poor countries

Nigeria on Friday recorded 43 COVID-19 infections. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Saturday. 

J&J to supply 200m doses of  COVID vaccine to COVAX

Paul Stoffels, chief medical officer of Johnson & Johnson, says the drugmaker has entered an agreement with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, to supply up to 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to COVAX.

Speaking during the G20 health summit on Friday, Stoffels said 200 million doses will be supplied by the end of 2021 while another 300 million doses may be delivered in 2022.

“We strongly support the mission of COVAX and we are pleased to announce that we have entered into an agreement with GAVI with the goal to supply up to 200 million doses to COVAX by the end of 2021 and will stay in close discussion with GAVI on the potential supply of an additional 300 million doses in 2022 for a combined total of up to 500 million doses,” Stoffels said.

IMF pitches $50bn plan to end COVID-19 pandemic

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday announced a $50bn proposal to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

The amount will be used in vaccinating at least 40 percent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022.

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of IMF, on Friday said it makes sense for rich countries to boost donations to ensure a faster end to the pandemic.

“Advanced economies – asked to contribute most to this effort – would likely see the highest return on public investment in modern history, capturing 40 percent of the GDP [gross domestic product] gains and roughly $1 trillion in additional tax revenues,” Georgieva said.

Pfizer/BioNTech pledge two billion doses to low and middle-income countries

Albert Bourla, chief executive officer (CEO) of Pfizer, says the company will donate two billion doses of its COVID vaccine to lower and middle-income countries.

Bourla disclosed this on Friday during the G20 global health summit.

The development comes as a relief to countries relying on COVAX for supplies as the Serum Institute of India (SII), the main supplier of the AstraZeneca vaccine to COVAX, paused export owing to the spike in infections in India.

“Today, Pfizer and BioNTech are pledging to provide two billion doses of our Covid-19 vaccine to middle- and low-income countries over the next 18 months,” Bourla said.

“We expect to provide a billion of these doses to low- and middle-income countries this year, and we pledge to deliver another billion doses to these countries in 2022.”

Nigeria records 43 COVID infections

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 43 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in four states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

According to the agency’s update for May 21, Lagos, the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, recorded 32 new cases, followed by Rivers with 7 fresh infections.

Other states that recorded infections include FCT (2), Akwa Ibom (1), and Kaduna (1).

No deaths were reported on Friday, leaving the fatality toll at 2,067.

Also, three persons were discharged after recovering from the virus.

Since Nigeria’s index case in February 2020, 165,944 cases of infections have been confirmed while 156,462 persons have been discharged after recovering from the infection.

EU to donate 100m doses of COVID vaccine to poor countries

The European Union (EU) has pledged to donate 100 million doses of COVID vaccines to low and middle-income countries.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU commission, said the doses will be delivered before the end of 2021.

She added that the EU will launch an initiative to boost vaccine manufacturing capacities in Africa.

#TeamEurope is launching an initiative to boost vaccine manufacturing capacities in Africa.
 
With investments in production infrastructure and skills.
 
Together with our African partners, we will develop regional hubs across the continent, so all countries can benefit.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 21, 2021