Inovio looks to countries outside the US to continue late-stage development of its vaccine, while a South Korean firm strikes a supply deal with Indonesia and Japan approves a new drug for COVID-19. 

The lack of availability of coronavirus vaccines in many less well off parts of the world is an open invitation to criminals seeking to sell falsified or substandard versions. Many instances of vaccine theft and diversion have also been found.

Amid a case of re-infection of a vaccinated healthcare worker in western China’s Xi’an city, and ongoing debate over domestic vaccines' efficacy, increasing attention is being paid in China to raising inoculation rates for COVID-19 and moving towards herd immunity.

China's regulators and spin doctors rush to remedy a comment from the nation’s top infectious disease official about the “not high” protection rate for its COVID-19 vaccines, amid debate over speedy development using mature technologies and doubts over protection in seniors. A slow roll-out is already presenting challenges to meeting an official 40% target.