The global initiative known as the COVAX facility announced major news for all seeking relief from the COVID-19 pandemic: a total of 156 economies have banded together under the program, guaranteeing both robust and lower income economies will get vaccines.
This week marked the formal commitment for these partners, which totaled 64 higher income economies pledged, another 38 likely to join soon, and another 92 lower income nations eligible for financial support through the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a financing instrument meant to support vaccine procurement for those countries. All told, they represent nearly two-thirds of the world’s population.
“COVAX is now in business: governments from every continent have chosen to work together, not only to secure vaccines for their own populations but also to help ensure that vaccines are available to the most vulnerable everywhere,” Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is coordinating the COVAX Facility, said. “With the commitments we’re announcing today for the COVAX Facility, as well as the historic partnership we are forging with industry, we now stand a far better chance of ending the acute phase of this pandemic once safe, effective vaccines become available.”
Partners will pool financial and scientific resources to guarantee the failure of one vaccine candidate will not mean the end of all. Their pooled funds will also allow the COVAX Facility to begin signing formal partnership agreements with vaccine manufacturers and developers to ensure the doses necessary by the end of 2021. Efforts to raise funds for research and development, and additional vaccine doses for low-income countries, continue.
Prioritization of distribution will be based on the principle of fair and equitable access, as guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). WHO, along with Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), are co-leads for the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, of which the COVAX Facility is a part.
“COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis that demands an unprecedented global response,” WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Vaccine nationalism will only perpetuate the disease and prolong the global recovery. Working together through the COVAX Facility is not charity, it’s in every country’s own best interests to control the pandemic and accelerate the global economic recovery.”
COVAX intends to provide at least three safe and effective vaccines to participating economies when all is said and done. A total of nine candidates are currently being supported by CEPI, which is leading COVAX’s vaccine research and development work. All but one of those candidates are currently in clinical trials.