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Hundreds of millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses secured -GAVI alliance

FILE PHOTO: A test tube labelled with the word Vaccine is seen in front of AstraZeneca logo in this illustration

GENEVA (Reuters) - The GAVI vaccine alliance on Tuesday welcomed Astrazeneca's interim data on efficiency of its COVID-19 vaccine, calling it "positive news for the COVAX vision of equitable access" for vulnerable groups worldwide.

Hundreds of millions of doses of the candidate vaccine have been secured on behalf of the COVAX facility, per agreements, the Geneva-based GAVI alliance that leads the initiative along with the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.

"Positive early data on any vaccine candidate is welcome news – even more so when it concerns a vaccine candidate that can be transported and delivered via traditional refrigeration and storage methods, and the manufacturer has committed to supply on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the pandemic,” GAVI CEO Seth Berkley said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Jason Neely)