Emerging powers among G20 countries including China, Brazil and India are being pressed to contribute urgent financing and COVID-19 vaccines for the COVAX dose-sharing facility, the World Health Organization and a Norwegian official said on Monday.

Ahead of the G7 summit this week, wealthy countries have also been pushed to follow the United States in making doses available immediately to cover a 200 million dose gap caused by Indian supply disruptions and manufacturing delays. 

So far some 150 million doses have been pledged to COVAX, far short of the 250 million needed by the end of September, and 1 billion target by year-end, the officials said.

Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the WHO director-general and its coordinator of the ACT (Access to COVID-19 Tools) Accelerator, and Norway, which co-leads the COVAX Facilitation Council with South Africa, said more investments were needed.