Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged $15 million to Gavi, the vaccine alliance, at its global virtual pledging conference <br /> <br />as AstraZeneca announced it had agreed a licensing deal with the Serum Institute of India to produce one billion doses of Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine (if it works) for lower-income countries. <br /> <br />At the live-streamed summit, held Thursday, $8.8 billion was raised from countries around the world to vaccinate millions of children against infectious diseases such as polio, diptheria and measles in poor countries between 2021 and 2025. <br /> <br />The Covid pandemic has disrupted many immunisation programmes, putting hundreds of millions of children at risk. <br /> <br />The US pledged $ 1.16 billion, whilst the UK, which hosted the summit, remained the world’s leading donor to Gavi, pledging £1.65 billion over the next five years. <br /> <br />Saudi Arabia pledged $150 million, China pledged $20 million, the European Commission pledged €300 million, Japan $300 million, and Australia ple
