Ireland is among 156 countries that have joined a programme backed by the World Health Organization, which aims to ensure the fair distribution of any future vaccine against Covid-19.

Ireland is among 156 countries that have joined a programme backed by the World Health Organization, which aims to ensure the fair distribution of any future vaccine against Covid-19. 
The WHO has in coordination with the global vaccine alliance group GAVI and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) created a mechanism aimed at ensuring a more equitable distribution of any future vaccines.
The COVAX scheme hopes to acquire two billion doses of safe and effective vaccines by the end of 2021, with healthcare workers prioritised initially and then the most vulnerable 20% of people in every participating country, regardless of income level.
Sixty-four higher income economies, self-financing countries have joined the programme, and they account for about two-thirds of the global population, a statement issued by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance said, after a deadline of last Friday to make binding commitments.
Ireland is one of 27 EU member states, plus Norway and Iceland, that is taking part in the programme. 
However COVAX has struggled to raise the funds needed to provide for the 92 low-income countries and other economies that quickly signed up. 
Some richer countries who have secured their own future supplies through bilateral deals, including the United States, do not plan to join COVAX.
The plan has highlighted the challenge of distributing vaccines equitably around the world and stirred accusations of selfish behaviour by some wealthier nations.
The vaccine alliance said it expected another 38 wealthy countries to join the initiative in coming days.
It said it had received commitments for $1.4 billion towards vaccine research and development, but a further $700m-$800m was urgently needed.
The alliance did not say which countries were only providing funding but not planning to take supply of vaccines from the scheme.
The Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged wealthy countries to contribute more.
He said so-called “vaccine nationalism” will only perpetuate the disease and prolong the global recovery.
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