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Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G7 summit
Photo: Brendan Smialowski / REUTERS
2.3 billion vaccine doses to protect against Covid-19 are to be given to poorer countries by the end of 2022.
Chancellor Angela Merkel made this promise at the end of the deliberations at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.
Germany will make a "significant contribution" and will be "responsible for 350 million cans."
This included 30 million cans that Germany has ordered and will pass on.
"That will probably increase over time," said Merkel at a press conference that was arranged at short notice to conclude the meeting on Sunday.
She referred to delivery problems of the vaccine manufacturers.
Most of the German contribution goes through the Covax vaccination program.
Germany is the second largest donor there.
Covax uses the money to finance the manufacture of vaccines and the construction of production facilities.
The aim is to ensure that all people have access to vaccines, said Merkel.
The G7 group “agrees that the pandemic can only be defeated globally.
Vaccines are the way out of the pandemic «.
The production of the vaccine should not only take place as before, primarily in Europe and the USA, but also in Africa, said Merkel.
In general, she said that the message from Cornwall should be that the G7 "wanted to work for a better world".
More clarity, please
Host Great Britain initially spoke of a billion vaccine donations by the end of next year, which was also mentioned in a preliminary draft of the final communique of the G7 meeting.
Merkel initially gave a rather vague prospect of distributing a total of 2.3 billion cans.
Development organizations recently called for "more clarity" about the G7 vaccine donations promised to poorer countries.
At the summit of the great industrial nations in Carbis Bay, Romilly Greenhill of Organization One spoke on Sunday of a "mysterious fog" enveloping the numbers mentioned.
"The world has to see a clear timetable."
The Covax vaccination program initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) had only delivered 83 million vaccine doses to 131 countries by Sunday.
A lot more was planned.
This is not only due to India's export ban, but also to the fact that the rich countries initially bought most of the vaccine for themselves.
So the most pressing problem is the lack of vaccine.
The WHO has been urging for weeks that rich countries should donate vaccine doses instead of vaccinating healthy younger ones so that at least nursing staff and the most vulnerable people can be vaccinated in poorer countries.
According to the information, between eight and eleven billion vaccine doses are needed.
Fok / AFP / Reuters