[ti:World Bank Approves $12 Billion to Finance Coronavirus Vaccines, Care]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]The World Bank has approved $12 billion in financing
[00:07.08]to help poor countries buy and give out
[00:12.04]coronavirus vaccines, tests and treatments.
[00:18.04]The aim is to support the vaccination
[00:22.32]of up to 1 billion people in the developing world.
[00:28.36]The $12 billion in financing is part of a larger World Bank Group effort.
[00:37.64]It plans to spend up to $160 billion to help developing countries
[00:46.60]fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank said in a statement on Tuesday.
[00:54.80]The World Bank said its COVID-19 emergency programs
[01:00.20]are already reaching 111 countries.
[01:05.28]People in developing countries
[01:08.64]need safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, it said.
[01:15.28]The World Bank is "fast-tracking" its delivery systems
[01:21.04]so that poorer nations "have fair and equal access to vaccines,"
[01:27.80]said the bank's president, David Malpass.
[01:32.56]He added that fair and equal access was important to defeat the pandemic
[01:39.72]and to "help countries experiencing catastrophic economic and fiscal impacts."
[01:48.20]The International Finance Corporation is the agency of the World Bank
[01:55.08]that provides loans to private businesses.
[01:59.04]It is giving money to vaccine manufacturers
[02:04.00]through a $4 billion Global Health Platform, the bank said.
[02:10.24]Researchers are working on creating more than 170 possible COVID-19 vaccines.
[02:20.32]The disease has killed more than 1 million people and sickened more than 38 million.
[02:28.20]It has also weakened many economies and left many people out of work.
[02:35.72]The world's richest countries have already bought up
[02:40.52]most of the world's possible COVID-19 vaccine supply through 2021.
[02:49.00]This has made health experts concerned
[02:52.56]that poorer countries will not be able to get the vaccine.
[02:58.64]The World Bank said it will use expertise and experience from its involvement
[03:05.28]in many large immunization programs worldwide and other public health efforts.
[03:13.24]The financing also is meant to help countries get medical tests and treatments
[03:20.60]and to support direction of logistics for vaccinations in the developing world.
[03:28.40]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM