Israel to donate 1 million COVID vaccines to African nations

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government says it is donating 1 million coronavirus vaccines to the U.N.-backed COVAX program. The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the AstraZeneca vaccines would be transferred to African countries in the coming weeks. It says the decision is part of Israel’s strengthening ties with African countries. COVAX is a global initiative that aims to provide coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations. Wealthier countries have acquired the most of the world’s vaccine supplies, causing vast inequality in access to jabs. Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population. Early this year, it came under criticism for not sharing enough of its supplies with the Palestinians.