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China Joins WHO Initiative to Distribute COVID Vaccine to Developing
Countries

VOA News

   China said Friday it is joining aWorld Health Organizationinternational
   initiative to distributeCOVID-19 vaccines to the developing world.

   China,Russia and the U.S. had said they were not joiningthealliance to
   help two-thirds of world's population receive the vaccinesby 2022.

   China's reversal makes it the largest country to participatein what is
   known as the COVAXdeal.

   "We are taking this concrete step to ensure equitable distribution of
   vaccines, especially to developing countries, and hope more capable
   countries will also join and supportCovax,"Chinese Foreign Ministry
   spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.

   Over 36 million infections
   More than 36.5 million people have been infected with the coronavirus
   as it snakes it way around the world, according to statistics from the
   Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
   The U.S., India and Brazil lead in the number of cases and deaths from
   COVID-19 -- the disease caused by the virus. India's health ministry
   reported more than 70,000 new cases in the past 24-hour period.
   The U.S. has more than 7.6 million infections and upwards of 212,000
   deaths. India has nearly 7 million COVID cases, with more than 106,000
   deaths, while Brazil has over 5 million cases and a death tally close
   to 149,000.
   Russia reported a new record for coronavirus cases Monday -- 12,126,
   bringing its total of confirmed cases to 1,272,238. The previous daily
   high was in May. Someofficials theresay new restrictions may have
   tobeimposed.

   Ukraine reported a record 5,804new cases Friday. Authorities are
   expected to extend the Eastern European country's lockdown until the
   end of October.

   Australia said Friday it has experienced two straight days without any
   COVID-19 deaths, the longest amount of time it has not hadany COVID
   deaths in three months.

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