Tens of millions of migrants may be denied COVID-19 vaccines from a global program because some major manufacturers are worried about legal risks from harmful side effects, @Reuters finds reut.rs/3yKOHlv 1/7 
Vaccine deliveries worldwide have been delayed by production problems, hoarding by rich countries, export restrictions and red tape. Many programs have also been hampered by hesitancy among the public 2/7
Many COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have required that countries indemnify them for any adverse events suffered by individuals as a result of the vaccines, the United Nations says 3/7
The concerns affect people, such as those displaced by the Myanmar, Afghanistan and Ethiopian crises, who are beyond the reach of national governments' vaccination schemes 4/7
For refugees, migrants, asylum-seekers, as well as people afflicted by natural disasters or other events that put them out of reach of government help, COVAX created a Humanitarian Buffer – a last-resort reserve of shots to be administered by humanitarian groups 5/7
But that buffer does not have any mechanism to offer compensation. Gavi, which operates COVAX with the WHO, says that where those applying for doses, mainly NGOs, can't bear legal risks, deliveries from that stockpile can only be made if vaccine-makers accept liability 6/7
Mainly because of the legal concerns, less than 2 million doses have so far been sent from the buffer, Gavi says. About 167 million people risk being excluded from national programs, according to United Nations data cited in the documents reut.rs/3yKOHlv 7/7
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