Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of covid-19 vaccination coverage in (a) low income and (b) lower middle income countries.

The UK is committed to supporting low and lower middle-income countries to increase their access to vaccines. The UK is proud to be among the largest donors to COVAX, which aims to provide doses equivalent to up to 30% population in low and lower middle-income countries by early 2022. COVAX raised an additional $2.6bn at an event hosted by Japan on 2 June that will allow it to secure purchase agreements for vaccine doses to meet this target.

The Prime Minister has also announced the UK will donate 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next year, 80% of which will go to COVAX to further support countries in need. This was part of the wider G7 commitment to share and finance an additional 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next year to increase coverage in low and lower-middle-income countries.