The European Union is urging global leaders to agree on joint advance purchases of potential vaccines against the new coronavirus.
Joe Davies reports.
EU pushes for global alliance to buy COVID-19 vaccines up front
The European Union is urging global leaders to agree on joint advanced purchases of potential vaccines against COVID-19.
Ursula von der Leyen, the Head of the EU Commission, wants to secure enough doses for the bloc and the world's poorest countries, should a successful vaccine be developed, as it fears lagging behind the United States and China.
"We will explore with our international partners whether a significant number of countries would agree to pool resources for jointly reserving future vaccines from companies, while at the same time making advanced reservations for low and middle income countries.
The high income countries would then act as an inclusive international buyers' group.
They would thus accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines and help maximize access to them across the world for all who need it." A global summit on vaccine strategies is scheduled on June 27, at the end of a fund-raising campaign co-led by the EU to secure funds to distribute potential COVID-19 shots to poor countries.
Under the plan, wealthy countries would negotiate with drug makers advance purchases of promising vaccines, and would also reserve them for those most in need across the world.