Geneva, Apr 15 (AP) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has kicked off an appeal to other countries to help inject USD 2 billion more to the UN-backed programme to ship coronavirus vaccines to the world's poorest countries.

The United States is co-hosting a pledging and donor conference Thursday, bringing together four presidents, three prime ministers and other dignitaries to help buttress the USD 6.3 billion already raised for the UN-backed COVAX programme.

Blinken laid out a goal to raise COVAX's target of vaccinating 20 per cent of populations in the affected countries to 30 per cent, with the addition of USD 2 billion in funds. The COVAX effort has been providing millions of vaccine doses to 92 of the world's poorest countries.

“We recognize that as long as COVID is spreading and replicating anywhere, it poses a threat to people everywhere,” Blinken says.

Donors were expected to chip in either funds — prime minister Stefan Lofven announced Sweden was increasing its contribution to COVAX from USD 20 million to USD 280 million — or announce plans to share doses with the low- and middle-income countries.

Blinken highlighted the Biden administration's contribution of USD 2 billion to COVAX in March and its plans to add another USD 2 billion through 2022. (AP)

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