The first factory to produce COVID-19 vaccines in Africa has announced that it has not received enough orders and is planning to stop production within a few weeks, in what a senior World Health Organization official described as a “failure” in efforts to achieve vaccine equity.

The company behind a COVID-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world will miss a target for giving doses to the U.N.-backed effort to deliver shots to poorer countries.

Moderna says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya’s government for the drugmaker's first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa.

The global initiative to share coronavirus vaccines fairly already scaled back its pledge to the world’s poor once.

The emergence of the new omicron variant and the world’s desperate and likely futile attempts to keep it at bay are reminders of what scientists have warned for months: The coronavirus will thrive as long as vast parts of the world lack vaccines.

The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, has resumed exports of coronavirus vaccines to the U.N.-backed COVAX distribution program after halting most overseas sales in March.

Moderna says it will make up to 110 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine available to African countries.

The World Health Organization and its partners hope to provide Africa with about 30% of the COVID-19 vaccines the continent needs by February.

Africa’s already thin supply of COVID-19 vaccines has taken another significant hit.

Several groups are working to get COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries, but the efforts are falling short of what’s needed to curb outbreaks globally.

President Xi Jinping says China will supply 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to other countries through this year, increasing its commitment as the largest exporter of the shots.

President Joe Biden is calling on resistant Republican governors to “get out of the way” of rules to contain the more transmissible and dangerous COVID-19 variant.

The head of Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute has apologized for the country’s slow and inadequate rollout of coronavirus vaccines, promising it will join the U.N.-backed COVAX program to receive supplies from its pool of donated vaccines next year.

As many Asian countries battle their worst surge of COVID-19 infections, the slow flow of vaccine doses from around the world is finally picking up speed, giving hope that inoculation rates can increase and help blunt the effect of the rapidly spreading delta variant.

The African Union special envoy tasked with leading efforts to procure COVID-19 vaccines for the continent is blasting Europe as Africa struggles amid a crushing third wave of infections.

The White House says the U.S. will swiftly share millions more doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world.

It's been five weeks since the Biden administration announced plans to share millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses with the world by the end of June.

The Serum Institute of India says it hopes to start delivering coronavirus vaccines to the U.

Experts say it could be 2023 or later before COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in some countries.

The World Health Organization has given its authorization for emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinopharm.

Several world leaders have praised the U.S. move to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines for poor nations by suspending patent protections on the shots.

The chief executive of Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest maker of vaccines and a critical supplier of the U.N.-backed COVAX facility, has asked President Joe Biden on Twitter to lift the U.S. embargo on exporting raw materials needed to make the the jabs.

The Africa CDC director says he wants to believe that India will lift export restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible, warning that “India is not an island” while some African nations still have seen no shots at all.

Iran has finalized a deal with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

Gov. Gavin Newsom says nearly half of Californians eligible for vaccination have received at least one shot against the coronavirus.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vowed to keep pushing the White House for more COVID-19 vaccines as the state experiences a spike in cases.

State TV reports that Iran has begun a 10-day lockdown amid a fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

As many as 60 countries might be stalled at the first shots of their coronavirus vaccinations because nearly all deliveries through the global program intended to help some of the world's poorest nations are blocked until as late as June.

The Navajo Nation has issued a stay-at-home order for the weekend after reporting 26 more confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Iran has shattered its daily record for new coronavirus infections for the second consecutive day, with 20,954 new cases reported.

Kenya has ordered an immediate suspension on private importations of vaccines, citing fears that it may lead to counterfeit inoculations getting into the country.

The Navajo Nation on Saturday reported 18 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and four more deaths.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two changes to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that can provide extra doses from each vial.

That increased the state’s totals to 839,334 confirmed cases and 16,912 confirmed deaths. Ad___RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil accounts for a quarter of the daily coronavirus global deaths, more than any other nation. AdThere have been 12.4 million confirmed cases and more than 307,000 confirmed deaths in Brazil, second only to the United States. AdPakistan has reported 649,824 total confirmed cases and 14,158 confirmed deaths. The nation of 10.7 million had 1.5 million confirmed cases with 25,639 deaths.

Doug Ducey said the site switch will maintain the state’s vaccination program’s presence in southeastern Maricopa County while protecting staff, volunteers and people getting vaccinated. Greece is currently grappling with a surge in coronavirus infections which has seen many hospitals run by the state health system reach capacity. 23, a total of 42,028 COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed on the island nation of around 900,000 people, of which 248 died due to COVID-19. Kate Brown said those groups will now be eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 5. ___PHOENIX — Arizona on Friday reported 571 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths as the number of virus-related hospitalizations remained fairly stable.

(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)GENEVA – The U.N.-backed program to ship COVID-19 vaccines worldwide has announced supply delays involving a key Indian manufacturer, a major setback for the ambitious rollout aimed at helping low- and middle-income countries vaccinate their populations and fight the pandemic. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its partners said Thursday that the Serum Institute of India, a pivotal vaccine maker behind the COVAX program, will face increasing domestic demands as coronavirus infections surge. “Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced COVID-19 vaccine doses are due to the increased demand for COVID-19 vaccines in India,” Gavi said. The program had been aiming to deliver some 237 million AstraZeneca vaccines through the end of May. AdThe Serum Institute of India, also known as SII, is the world's largest maker of vaccines.

But COVAX has been facing delays related to the limited global supply of vaccine doses as well as logistical issues. That’s why some countries such as South Africa, the hardest-hit African nation, are also pursuing COVID-19 vaccines via bilateral deals and through the African Union’s bulk-purchasing program. There are ongoing discussions between WHO, the global vaccine alliance GAVI and Indian authorities aimed at ensuring COVAX shipments continue to be prioritized, the official said. That amounts to about 1.5 billion vaccine doses. This is a global pandemic, and we need to solve it through global vaccination, global public health methods," said Anthony Costello, a professor of global health and sustainable development at University College London.

Brian Kemp said all Georgians 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Greg Abbott said Thursday that he’s hoping to increase the number of Texans getting COVID-19 vaccines after seeing a drop in people showing up for the shot. That’s a big jump from the roughly 1.8 million doses a week the state is currently getting. ___PHOENIX — Arizona on Thursday reported 138 confirmed coronavirus cases, the smallest daily increase reported in more than six months. The U.K. says its vaccination program has given at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to more than half the adult population.

The accountant said he felt fear seeing Hernández and a drug trafficker sitting at the same table. “I was seeing the candidate for the presidency meeting with a drug trafficker,” he said. That alleged drug trafficker was Geovanny Fuentes Ramírez, whose New York trial is in its second week. The accountant testified that that movement of drugs would be done with the help of the military and police. In another meeting at the company’s offices without Fuentes Ramírez present, Hernández boasted about siphoning money from Honduras’ social security system, the accountant testified.

(AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)MOGADISHU – Somalia launched COVID-19 vaccinations Tuesday with the inoculation of the health minister, who received the jab publicly to reassure the nation about its safety. The Horn of Africa nation, which has recently experienced a surge of cases, on Monday received its first shipment of 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the international COVAX intiative to ensure that low- and middle-income countries receive vaccines. The AstraZeneca vaccine is the only one available in Somalia and many other African countries. Somalia has recorded 8,946 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including at least 349 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Issak asked, speaking specifically of the AstraZeneca shot, “If it is good, why those many European countries are refusing to take it?

Boxes of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative arrive at the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia Monday, March 15, 2021. The first shipment of 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine will target the country's frontline workers, elderly and people with chronic health conditions, according to Somalia's Ministry of Health. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)GENEVA – The U.N. health agency said its global rollout of coronavirus vaccines remains unaffected even as a growing number of countries, especially in Europe, suspended use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Monday amid concerns about blood clots in some people who received it. The program began shipments in late February and has plans to ship more than 200 million doses by the end of May — nearly all of them versions of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. AdDr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO's chief scientist, noted that 300 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been injected around the world, and there is no documented death linked to any one of them.

“It’s a concern, and everyone is talking about it.”The East African nation of 45 million people was receiving under 1 million vaccine doses — 864,000. It’s the first batch of a total of 18 million COVAX doses for Uganda, but when all will arrive is not known. While the COVAX initiative was created to ensure that low- and middle-income countries receive COVID-19 vaccines, it has faced delays and limited supply. And Nigeria began its vaccination campaign after Africa’s most populous country received almost 4 million doses. AdThe COVAX delays have pushed other African countries to seek more doses elsewhere, including via bilateral deals that can be unfavorable.

COVAX has faced delays related to the severely limited global supply of vaccine doses as well as logistical issues. Despite the various challenges, some health officials expressed jubilation as the first vaccine doses via COVAX arrived. Kenya received 1.02 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. “This first shipment of 1 million vaccines is part of an order of 3.5 million to Kenya,” UNICEF spokesman Andrew Brown told The Associated Press. Many health workers for months have been disgruntled over the inadequate supply of personal protective equipment.

COVID-19 vaccines are offloaded from a plane at Lagos airport, Tuesday March 2, 2021. Nigeria received vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. With more than 150,000 Nigerians infected with the virus and over 1,800 lives lost, the path to recovery for the people of Nigeria can finally begin,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative. “This is a very significant occasion -- the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines into Nigeria is critical in curbing the pandemic. Nigeria is among 92 countries worldwide that will receive vaccines for free through the COVAX initiative.

AdThe organization said in a news release Monday that 36 countries in the region will receive vaccines through the initiative. Of those, 26 will do so through their own funds while 10 will receive the vaccines for free. Its government expects to get 20 million doses of vaccines through the COVAX initiative this year. In addition, Peru, El Salvador and Bolivia will also receive Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines soon once administrative, legal and regulatory requirements are met. Last week, Ghana was the first country in the world to receive vaccines through the COVAX initiative.

Raimonde Goudou Coffie , culture minister, receives a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Monday March 1, 2021. But Raab urged poorer nations to wait for the “gold standard” vaccines delivered by a U.N.-backed program rather than opt for shots from China and Russia. Raab said COVAX “is the gold standard of international support for the most vulnerable countries around the world. So far, around 500,000 doses have been delivered to Ivory Coast and 600,000 to Ghana. The British government has pledged to give “the majority of any future surplus vaccines” to the COVAX effort, but has not said when that surplus might become available.

This photograph released by UNICEF Wednesday Feb. 24, 2021, shows the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the COVAX Facility arriving at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana. Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. Ghana is among 92 countries that will receive vaccines for free through the initiative, which is led by the WHO; Gavi, a vaccine group; and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Neighboring Ivory Coast will be the next to receive vaccines, and also will roll them out starting next week. Even as it celebrated receiving the first doses, Ghana noted the long road ahead.

Jim Thurman counts himself among the converts who recognize the importance of taking a COVID-19 vaccine. AdHealth authorities say first-generation COVID-19 vaccines still protect against variants of the virus that are emerging in different parts of the world. AdIn a separate announcement, Moderna also said it plans to manufacture 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine globally this year, up from 600 million. Bosnia, a country of 3.3 million, expects 1.2 million vaccines through COVAX. On Wednesday, Ghana has become the first country to receive COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX.

Britian's Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosts a virtual meeting of G7 world leaders, from within the Cabinet Room at Downing Street in London, Friday Feb. 19, 2021. Johnson is chairing a virtual meeting Friday with leaders of the Group of Seven economic powers, holding their first meeting of 2021. (Geoff Pugh/Pool via AP)LONDON – Leaders of the Group of Seven economic powers promised Friday to immunize the world’s neediest people against the coronavirus by giving money, and precious vaccine doses, to a U.N.-backed vaccine distribution effort. G-7 leaders are eager to avoid looking greedy — and don't want to cede the terrain of vaccine diplomacy to less democratic but faster-moving countries such as China and Russia. The AU previously secured 270 million doses from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson for the continent of 1.3 billion people.

Workers from the National Park Service clear snow and ice at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Washington. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the WHO, but Biden moved quickly after his inauguration last month to rejoin and confirmed that the U.S. would contribute to COVAX. AdThe $4 billion in U.S. funding was approved by Congress in December and will be distributed through 2022. In addition to discussing vaccine distribution, Biden also plans to use the meeting to discuss G-7 countries' collective competitiveness and economic challenges posed by China, according to the White House. Biden is also scheduled to deliver a virtual address to the Munich Security Conference on Friday before traveling to Michigan to visit Pfizer's vaccine manufacturing facility.

Workers from the National Park Service clear snow and ice at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Washington. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the WHO, but Biden moved quickly after his inauguration last month to rejoin and confirmed that the U.S. would contribute to COVAX. AdThe $4 billion in U.S. funding was approved by Congress in December and will be distributed through 2022. In addition to discussing vaccine distribution, Biden also plans to use the meeting to discuss G-7 countries' collective competitiveness and economic challenges posed by China, according to the White House. Biden is also scheduled to deliver a virtual address to the Munich Security Conference on Friday before traveling to Michigan to visit Pfizer's vaccine manufacturing facility.

COVAX missed its own target of starting vaccination in poor countries at the same time as immunizations were rolled out in rich countries, and numerous developing countries have signed their own deals to buy vaccine, fearing the program won't deliver. It's a cooperative program aimed to make sure low- and middle-income countries get equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that over 130 million doses of vaccine have been deployed globally — three quarters of them in only ten countries. Unlike most wealthy nations, many developing countries don’t have the resources to assess whether vaccines should be approved. Early studies suggest the AstraZeneca vaccine is less effective against that variant and South Africa's government delayed plans to roll out its own supplies of the vaccine.

In a statement Monday, the WHO said it was clearing the AstraZeneca vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India and South Korea’s AstraZeneca-SKBio. The WHO’s green light for the AstraZeneca vaccine is only the second one the U.N. health agency has issued after authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December. But many countries have not yet started vaccination programs and even rich nations are facing shortages of vaccine doses as manufacturers struggle to ramp up production. The AstraZeneca vaccine has already been authorized in more than 50 countries, including Britain, India, Argentina and Mexico. Last week, WHO vaccine experts recommended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over age 18, including in countries that have detected variants of COVID-19.

Fauci won a $1 million award from the Israeli Dan David Foundation for courageously defending science during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)TEL AVIV, Israel — Dr. Anthony Fauci has won the $1 million Dan David Prize for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The shots were supplied by Pfizer, which has a contract to sell 10 million vaccines to Colombia. The U.K.’s rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines to the most at-risk groups has also helped. The good news: Many of the new COVID-19 vaccines are made with new, flexible technology that’s easy to upgrade.

(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)CANBERRA, Australia — Australia will begin vaccinating its population against COVID-19 next week after its first shipment of Pfizer vaccine was delivered on Monday. Australia is contracted to receive 20 million Pfizer doses and to receive or manufacture at home 53.8 million AstraZeneca doses. The average of new U.S. virus cases has dipped below 100,000 a day for the first time in months. Japan has formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine. AdAs of Friday, Hawaii has had 26,743 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 425 deaths since the pandemic began in March.

India has gifted neighbors, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, with more than 5 million doses. That’s on top of a previously negotiated African Union deal for 270 million doses from several pharmaceutical companies and in addition to the 600 million doses Africa expects to receive from COVAX. Kate Elder, senior vaccines policy adviser at Doctors Without Borders, said developing countries should not be criticized for securing private vaccine deals since that is precisely what rich countries did last year. “If countries are getting vaccines on their own, then how are WHO and GAVI delivering for them?” she asked. In the meantime, India has already gifted neighbors, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, with more than 5 million doses.

Iran on Thursday received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines as the country struggles to stem the worst outbreak of the pandemic in the Middle East. (Saeed Kaari/IKAC via AP)TEHRAN – Iran on Thursday received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines as the country struggles to stem the worst outbreak of the pandemic in the Middle East. Also Iranian state TV quoted Tehran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, as saying that Iran has ordered 5 million doses from Russia. ISNA quoted Mohammadreza Shanehsaz, head of Iran’s food and drug organization, as saying Thursday’s shipment included only 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. It is also planning to import some 17 million doses of vaccine from COVAX and millions from other countries.

He did not offer details on which vaccine China was providing to COVAX, or whether it was a donation. It has pursued deals or donations with more than 30 nations far exceeding the 10 million doses it is providing to COVAX. In Turkey alone, Chinese company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. has struck a deal to sell 50 million doses. Pfizer last month committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year through COVAX. The facility also has 150 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2020 file photo, Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Mich. Pfizer has committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable vaccines to 92 poor and middle-income countries. The deal announced Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 will supply the shots to the program known as COVAX. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)Pfizer on Friday committed to supply up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year to a World Health Organization-backed effort to get affordable shots to poor and middle-income countries. New York-based Pfizer Inc. had not previously committed to providing its COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries without making a profit during the pandemic, as a couple rivals have. Many public health officials have expressed skepticism that the Pfizer vaccine could be successfully kept so cold across the globe.

(AP Photo/Channi Anand)NEW DELHI – India will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for several months, the head of Serum Institute of India, which has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, said Sunday. Poonawalla said that Serum Institute was in the process of signing a larger contract with COVAX for 300 million-400 million doses of the vaccine. That is apart from two existing orders of 100 million doses each for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and another one from Novovax. Poonawalla said his company was planning to give 200 million to 300 million doses of the vaccine to COVAX by December 2021. Serum Institute is also negotiating bilateral agreements with individual countries including Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Poonawalla said.

FILE - In this June 11, 2009, file photo, the logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The head of the World Health Organization says on Friday, Dec, 18, 2020 the U.N. health agencys program to help get COVID-19 vaccines to all countries in need, has gained access to nearly 2 billion doses of several promising vaccine candidates. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)GENEVA – The World Health Organization program to help get COVID-19 vaccines to all countries in need has access to nearly 2 billion doses of “promising” vaccine candidates, officials said Friday. Of the approximately 12 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines the pharmaceutical industry is expected to produce next year, about 9 billion shots have already been reserved by rich countries. The U.N.-backed COVAX program needs $6.8 billion more to secure vaccine contracts and ensure delivery of allocated doses.

It has agreements for another 500 million vaccines, but those are not legally binding. Poonawalla also noted that his company’s first priority would be making shots for India, which has suggested it wants at least 300 million vaccines. Canada, for example, bought nearly 200 million vaccines — enough to cover its population of 38 million about five times over. Amid fears COVAX can't deliver, some developing countries are pulling out entirely or seeking their own private deals. But many rich countries are reluctant to do that.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has set a goal to vaccinate 60% of its population with a COVID-19 vaccine, or 15 million people, a health official said Tuesday. Many other governors are waiting for health care workers, patients and emergency responders first. However, the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing. The officials spoke Monday at a George Washington University Hospital event Monday to launch the vaccination of health care workers in the nation’s capital. Andrew Cuomo called the first shot given in the state’s campaign to vaccinate front line health care workers.

Volunteers wait to be checked at a vaccine trial facility set at Soweto's Chris Sani Baragwanath Hospital outside Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday Nov. 30, 2020. Over 2000 South African volunteers are on AstraZeneca's experimental coronavirus vaccine trial. The U.N. chief reiterated his call for vaccines to be treated as “a global public good,” available to everyone, everywhere on the planet, especially in Africa. In the United States, the Pfizer vaccine could get a green light for emergency use in the coming days and the Moderna vaccine in the coming weeks. “There are several vaccines in the pipeline for COVAX, and it is perfectly possible to deliver if the financing is guaranteed.”

European Council President Charles Michel, on screen bottom, participates in a virtual G20 meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia, at the European Council building in Brussels, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. The G-20 expressed support for efforts like COVAX, an international initiative to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to countries worldwide. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters Sunday in Berlin after the virtual summit that Germany had given financial support to the COVAX initiative, but that more money was needed. Saudi Arabia presided over the G-20 this year and was host of the virtual summit, which was originally intended to be held in-person in Riyadh before the pandemic. G-20 countries are allowing low-income countries with unsustainable debts to apply for permanent debt relief on a case-by-case basis.

China said on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, that it is joining the COVID-19 vaccine alliance known as COVAX. Initially, China did not agree to join the alliance, after missing an early deadline to join in September. Some experts point out that without significant efforts to quickly boost manufacturing capacity globally, Chinese vaccine producers may offer the best chance to supply the developing world. The United States, the world's largest economy, declined to join under President Donald Trump, saying COVAX was “influenced by the corrupt WHO and China.” China has the second-largest economy in the world. Without that data, it is unclear how safe and effective any of the experimental Chinese vaccines are.

Many world leaders at this week's virtual U.N. summit hope it will be a vaccine made available and affordable to all countries, rich and poor. Many world leaders at this week’s virtual U.N. summit hope it will be a vaccine made available and affordable to all countries, rich and poor. “Are people to be left to die?” Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a COVID-19 survivor, said of the uncertain way forward. This week's speeches make clear that such questions have existential meaning. But whether this week’s impassioned speeches at the U.N. will make any difference, Madhi said, is still “difficult to tell."