Canada, the UK and Chile have ordered the highest number of vaccine doses relative to their populations, according to Guardian analysis of the latest available data.
Each of these countries has procured enough supplies to give each person at least four doses. By contrast, the African Union and Latin American countries – with the exception of Brazil – have confirmed orders amounting to one jab each for less than half their people. Some vaccines require two doses to achieve maximum efficacy.
The figures from Duke Global Health Innovation Center run to 25 January. They show that the EU and US have ordered the highest total number of vaccine doses, at 1.6bn and 1.2bn respectively.
Most of the EU, US and UK’s orders are for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Most of Canada’s orders are with Novavax, and most of the African Union’s are with Janssen.
The UK has ordered a total of 367m vaccine doses – more than five times its population – of which 100m are the Oxford vaccine. It has ordered 60m doses each of vaccines from Valneva, Novavax and Janssen.
When looking at vaccines that have already been proven effective in phase 3 trials, the data shows the UK has procured 247m vaccine doses from companies with phase 3 results, a rate of roughly 3.7 per person.
Canada, Chile, Australia and New Zealand are the only countries with a higher rate, with enough supplies from companies with phase 3 results to give their people at least four doses each.
The UK has placed orders for a further 120m vaccines from Sanofi-GSK and Valneva, but these still await positive trial results.
Globally, three vaccine manufacturers have agreed contracts totalling more than 1bn doses: Oxford/AstraZeneca (2.1bn), Pfizer (1.1bn) and Janssen (1bn).
The data will increase concerns about the equitable distribution of vaccines, with high-income countries dominating the list of those with the highest agreed coverage. This month the World Health Organization warned of a looming “catastrophic moral failure”.
The international Covax group, set up by the WHO to ensure new vaccines are shared equitably, has agreed deals for 1.1bn doses – less than half the combined total of the EU, US and UK.
Ten countries or territories have now vaccinated at least one in 20 of their people, all of them high- or upper-middle-income states.