TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is not included on the list of countries to receive the first round of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by WHO-led platform COVAX, which was designed to ensure equitable global access.

The U.N. body released an allocation forecast on Wednesday (Feb. 3), in which it stated that an initial 337.2 million doses, including AstraZeneca/Oxford and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, will be distributed in the first half of the year.

They will cover 3.3 percent of the population, of 145 participants in the scheme, with first deliveries expected in late February. COVAX eyes securing enough doses for the most vulnerable 20 percent in nations joining the initiative by the end of the year, according to Al Jazeera.

Those allotted with the most vaccines include India (97.16 million), Pakistan (17.16 million), Nigeria (16.01 million), Indonesia (13.71 million), Bangladesh (12.79 million) and Brazil (10.67 million). The numbers were decided according to population size.

Pressed by the media on Thursday (Feb. 4) about the time and volume of vaccines Taiwan will be able to access, Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), remained equivocal. He reiterated that disclosure of relevant information may hurt vaccine procurement negotiations and the public will be notified when information becomes more certain.

Those working on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic will be prioritized in the immunization campaign, from medical staff to inspection personnel at border checkpoints, Chen added.