Moderna to provide 500m vaccine doses for Covax programme

A healthcare worker injects a man with a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in Puerto Rico (Carlos Giusti/AP)

Moderna and vaccine promoter Gavi have announced a deal by which the pharmaceutical company will provide up to 500 million doses for the UN-backed Covax programme by the end of 2022.

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.