Devex: U.K. joins COVAX scheme on deadline day
“The United Kingdom on Friday joined the international COVAX facility for researching, manufacturing, and equitably distributing vaccines against COVID-19, confirming its participation in the scheme on deadline day. It joins at least 76 wealthy states, including Japan and Norway, in signing up to the scheme. The World Health Organization has faced an uphill battle in convincing high-income countries to participate in full, however…” (Worley, 9/18).

Reuters: EXCLUSIVE — Germany won’t buy vaccines through WHO’s COVAX scheme — sources
“Germany has joined France in deciding against buying potential COVID-19 vaccines through a World Health Organization (WHO) program, although it supports the scheme, government sources told Reuters on Friday. The sources said Berlin was not buying supplies through the WHO’s COVAX program because it was already sourcing potential vaccines through a European Union scheme…” (Rinke, 9/18).

Reuters: Latin American nations plan to join COVAX vaccine facility after deadline
“Brazil and Argentina, Latin American nations seeking more time to commit to the global COVID-19 vaccine facility known as COVAX, said they intend to so as soon as possible after missing Friday’s deadline. Peru’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it managed to sign the binding agreement on Friday and will get access to 12 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX…” (Boadle et al., 9/19).

Washington Post: China and Russia are ahead in the global coronavirus vaccine race, bending long-standing rules as they go
“China and Russia have begun a mass rollout of their coronavirus vaccines before clinical tests are complete, in what is emerging as an unexpectedly complex geopolitical challenge for the United States. … These moves have thrown Western policymakers off balance. American health-care experts say the United States should not rush out its own vaccine in response. But that leaves China and Russia as the only countries wielding this valuable diplomatic tool for potentially months to come…” (Dou et al., 9/18).

Additional coverage of vaccine diplomacy and research is available from Fortune (2), The Guardian, New York Times (2), Reuters, Wall Street Journal, and Xinhua.