Iran Press/ America: The advance purchase agreement comes just days after the World Health Organisation (WHO), after weeks of delays, announced emergency approval for the Moderna vaccine that will pave the way for its rollout in COVAX.
The Moderna vaccine has generally been considered among the most effective so far in combating new variants, such as the one that is spreading in India.
Many experts say the Covid-19 crisis is acute now, with India, in particular, facing an unprecedented surge in cases.
The arrangement means that Massachusetts-based Moderna can join the Covax rollout that already includes vaccines from Oxford/AstraZeneca, which has the biggest role so far in the program, and Pfizer/BioNTech, which has committed far fewer doses to it.
Supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine for Covax that are being produced in India have been limited in recent months as the New Delhi government and the Indian subcontractor divert much of that production to combating the devastating outbreak at home.
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