Brussels, 22 July 2021 (dpa/MIA) - The European Union and its member states will donate at least 200 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries by the end of the year, the European Commission announced on Thursday. The doses will be sent mainly through the World Health Organization's COVAX initiative, according to a press release. This effectively doubles the bloc's pledges: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in May that the EU would send at least 100 million doses by December. Last month, however, the G7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States - had pledged to donate more than 2 billion doses. "Vaccination is key – that's why it is essential to ensure access to Covid-19 vaccines to countries worldwide," von der Leyen said in a press release. So far, 122 million doses have been sent through COVAX to 136 countries, according to the press release. The World Health Organization has estimated that 11 billion doses are needed to quash the pandemic.