AstraZeneca supplied two billion vaccine doses less than a year after approval
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has supplied two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine globally in just over 11 months since initial approval. A significant portion of doses delivered to low- and middle-income countries.
AstraZeneca has supplied two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to over 170 countries across six continents, less than 12 months after the vaccine received its first emergency use authorization. The initial authorization was granted in the UK in late November 2020.
Approximately two-thirds of the delivered doses have been allocated to low- and middle-income countries. Through the COVAX initiative, 130 countries have received more than 175 million doses.
The collaboration between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford for the vaccine's development and global distribution began over 18 months ago. The company states that the vaccine has helped prevent an estimated 50 million infections and saved over one million lives.
"Our vaccine has played a key role in tackling the biggest public health emergency of our lifetime," said AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. The company emphasizes the importance of global cooperation in addressing the crisis.