Japan on Wednesday pledged an additional $800 million toward an international effort to ensure the fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines amid widening gaps between nations in administering shots.
Along with commitments from other countries and the private sector, the COVAX Facility has surpassed its goal of $8.3 billion in funding to secure 1.8 billion doses, enough for 30% of the population of developing countries, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.
Japan's pledge, made during an online summit attended by representatives from dozens of countries, came on top of a previous offer of $200 million. Suga also said Japan will provide 30 million domestically produced doses sometime in the future.