Beirut, Lebanon – July 16, 2021: Lebanon today received 129,600 doses of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca through COVAX.
COVAX, co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi (the Vaccines Alliance), and the World Health Organization, is a global initiative that works with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.
Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan, said: “We are working with our local and international partners to ensure the swift rollout of effective and safe vaccines across Lebanon. Recent studies showed the effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca against the new Delta variant, which we suspect to be the main driver of the new wave of infections in Lebanon. The new batch of vaccines arrived at the right time as we continue expanding our efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible and help in reducing the number of cases and control the pandemic.”
Agnar Aboujaoude, Lebanon Commercial Manager, AstraZeneca, said: “The Ministry of Health and the local authories have made an immense effort to ensure the safe and timely rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. At AstraZeneca, we will continue to support the vaccination programme to fight the pandemic and enable the Lebanese people to return to normal life.”
Rami Scandar, Country President for Near East & Maghreb, AstraZeneca, said: “AstraZeneca is committed to providing the vaccine broadly and equitably across the globe, at no profit during the pandemic period. On behalf of AstraZeneca, I would like to thank our partners at COVAX for making this possible. This milestone provides evidence of the value of government, industry, and other partners working together to fight against the pandemic.”
AstraZeneca is committed to providing the vaccine broadly and equitably across the globe, at no profit during the pandemic. COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has helped to save tens of thousands of lives and prevent thousands of hospitalizations since the start of this year. To date, nearly 700 million doses have been released for supply to 170 countries worldwide, and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine accounts for approximately 90% of COVAX supply to date, with more than 80 million doses released for supply to 127 countries.
About COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca:
The COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, (ChAdOx1-S [Recombinant]), formerly AZD1222, was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company, Vaccitech. It uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus if it later infects the body.
About AstraZeneca:
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.