EU Has Exported 'over 1 Billion' Covid-19 Vaccine Doses

The European Union has exported "over one billion" doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the past 10 months, the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday

Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2021 ) :The European Union has exported "over one billion" doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the past 10 months, the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

"Very clearly, the European Union is the largest exporter of Covid-19 vaccines," she said, announcing the "important milestone" in a brief broadcast and statement.

Von der Leyen said that 87 million of the doses had been funnelled through the WHO-led Covax scheme to mid- and low-income countries.

Most of the exports are orders paid for by other countries for Covid-19 vaccine doses manufactured in the EU.

Von der Leyen said that, separate from the export figure, "the EU will donate in the next months at least 500 million doses to the most vulnerable countries". She urged other countries "to step up, too".

Her declaration comes in the context of a sharp divide between wealthier regions and poorer ones in terms of Covid vaccination rates.