COVAX

Last updated

US Officials deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Ghana as part of the COVAX program in 2021. Ghana was the first recipient of vaccines through COVAX. The United States Delivers COVID-19 Vaccine Doses to Ghana (51704049970).jpg
US Officials deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Ghana as part of the COVAX program in 2021. Ghana was the first recipient of vaccines through COVAX.

COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside key delivery partner UNICEF. It is one of the four pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, an initiative begun in April 2020 by the WHO, the European Commission, and the government of France as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVAX coordinates international resources to enable low-to-middle-income countries equitable access to COVID-19 tests, therapies, and vaccines. [1] UNICEF is the key delivery partner, leveraging its experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world and working on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as logistics, country readiness and in-country delivery.

Contents

By 19 October 2020, 184 countries had joined COVAX. [2]

COVAX began distributing vaccines in February 2021. Though COVAX promised 100 million doses by the end of March, [3] [4] this goal was not reached until 6 July. [5] By mid-August 2021, COVAX delivered 200 million vaccine doses to nearly 140 countries instead of the 600 million doses initially projected. The continued shortage of COVID-19 vaccines delivered through COVAX is blamed on "vaccine nationalism" by richer nations, and the diversion of 400 million Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses, produced under license by the Serum Institute of India (SII), for domestic use in India. [6] As of April 2022, more than 1.4 billion doses were delivered, when the largest recipients were Bangladesh (183 mil. of doses), Pakistan (112 mil.) and Indonesia (104 million). [7]

History

In April 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission, and the government of France founded the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, an initiative begun as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) is one of its four pillars. It is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the WHO, alongside key delivery partner UNICEF. COVAX coordinates international resources to enable low-to-middle-income countries equitable access to COVID-19 tests, therapies, and vaccines. [1]

A financing instrument called the COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) was presented to prospective donors at the Gavi COVAX AMC 2021 Investment Opportunity Launch Event, otherwise named One World Protected, on 15 April 2021. [8] The virtual event was hosted by GAVI board chair José Manuel Barroso, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and acting United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gloria Steele. [9] Among the attendees were heads of state, corporate leaders and representatives from global nonprofit organizations. [10] The program was fully launched by GAVI at the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June 2021. [11]

Vaccine candidates

As of 23 December 2021, the WHO had approved Oxford–AstraZeneca, Pfizer–BioNTech, Moderna, Sinopharm BIBP, CoronaVac, Janssen, Covaxin, and Novavax vaccines for emergency use. [12] [13] [14] These vaccines can be distributed as part of COVAX per decision in May 2021. [15] [16]

Many of the countries benefitting from COVAX have "limited regulatory capacity" and depend on WHO's authorisations. By early 2021, WHO was reviewing 11 potential COVID-19 vaccines for its Emergency Use Listing (EUL). [17] The first vaccine WHO authorised for its EUL on 31 December 2020 was the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine—an RNA vaccine developed by the German company BioNTech in cooperation with the American company Pfizer sold under the brand name Comirnaty. [18] [19] [20]

On 24 August 2020 WHO stated that COVAX had nine CEPI-supported vaccine candidates and nine candidates undergoing trials, giving it the largest selection of COVID-19 vaccinations in the world. [21] By December 2020, COVAX had finalized negotiations with other manufacturers that gave it access to two billion vaccine doses. [22]

Distribution (recipients)

COVAX provides vaccines to the developing world. [23] A total of 92 low- and middle-income countries are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX mechanism [24] through the COVAX Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (AMC) financing instrument. [24] [25] COVAX AMC is funded by donor contributions. [25] COVAX AMC funds the COVAX Facility, the vaccine procurement platform. [25]

On 3 February 2021, GAVI, the WHO, and UNICEF published the country-by-country distribution of the Pfizer–BioNTech and Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccines forecast for first half of 2021. [26] The early projection includes 336 million doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine as well as 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine to the 145 COVAX facility participants. [27] [28] It is expected that health care workers and the most vulnerable will receive the first doses, which are anticipated to reach approximately 3.3% of the total population of each participating country by the end of the first half of 2021. [28]

In February 2021, the WHO and Chubb Limited announced the roll out of a no-fault compensation scheme for COVID-19 vaccinations for low and middle-income countries which would be financed initially through Gavi COVAX AMC donor funding. [29]

On 24 February 2021, Ghana became the first country in the world to receive vaccines through COVAX when 600,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered to Accra. [23] [30] On 2 March, COVID-19 vaccines were being distributed in Ghana by Zipline drones. [31] This method allows reaching remote areas (which are underserved by traditional logistics). [32]

On 1 March 2021, frontline workers and public officials from the Ivory Coast became the first persons to be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines shipped from the COVAX Facility. More than 500,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India were shipped to the city of Abidjan the week before. The vaccines were flown in by UNICEF from Mumbai. [33]

On 5 March 2021, Moldova received 14,400 Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine units through COVAX, becoming the first European country to do so. The country had already been donated 21,600 doses of the same vaccine by Romania some days earlier. [34]

On 25 March 2021, Bosnia and Herzegovina received 24,300 Pfizer–BioNTech and 26,400 Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine units through COVAX, becoming the second European country to do so. [35] The country had already been, in total, donated over 20,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine by Serbia and Slovenia some weeks earlier. [36] [37]

On 8 June 2021, Uruguay released health data from their vaccination efforts through the COVAX program. Almost 800,000 individuals or 52% of the adult population received two doses of the CoronaVac or Pfizer vaccines. The government also studied the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine among 162,047 health workers and people over 80 years old. Both vaccine types reduced hospitalisations and deaths by over 90%, and infection rates by more than 60%. Because of accessible healthcare and available COVAX vaccine supplies, the small Latin nation was able to ward off a serious COVID-19 spike in May 2021. [38]

On 1 August 2021, the Venezuelan government announced it will receive 6.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines through the COVAX initiative. Part of the payment to the GAVI alliance was first blocked due to economic sanctions. Venezuela is a self-financing participant of COVAX. According to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Venezuela will receive China's Sinopharm BIBP vaccine and CoronaVac. The country previously obtained the AstraZeneca vaccine through the program, but Venezuelan health officials did not approve the product for domestic use. [39]

According to a report produced by the People's Vaccine Alliance covering 14 countries, 'vaccine hesitancy' was not the reason for low jab rates in low- and middle-income countries. But the report found that a lack of testing capacity, sufficient vaccine doses and refrigerated storage were mostly to blame for the low vaccination rates. Poor information policies on vaccine distribution and underfunded healthcare systems were also mentioned. The Vaccine Alliance found that "systemic racism has plagued the global response to Covid-19". [40]

Interim Distribution Forecast as of 3 February 2021 (doses) [28]
AMC: Advance Market Commitment; SFP: Self-Financing Participants
ParticipantSFP/AMCAstraZeneca
SII
AstraZeneca
SK Bioscience
Pfizer–BioNTechTotal
Flag of India.svg IndiaAMC97,164,00097,164,000
Flag of Pakistan.svg PakistanAMC17,160,00017,160,000
Flag of Nigeria.svg NigeriaAMC16,008,00016,008,000
Flag of Indonesia.svg IndonesiaAMC13,708,80013,708,800
Flag of Bangladesh.svg BangladeshAMC12,792,00012,792,000
Flag of Brazil.svg BrazilSFP10,672,80010,672,800
Flag of Ethiopia.svg EthiopiaAMC8,928,0008,928,000
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Congo, Dem. Rep.AMC6,948,0006,948,000
Flag of Mexico.svg MexicoSFP6,472,8006,472,800
Flag of the Philippines.svg PhilippinesAMC5,500,800117,0005,617,800
Flag of Egypt.svg EgyptAMC5,138,4005,138,400
Flag of Vietnam.svg VietnamAMC4,886,4004,886,400
Flag of Myanmar.svg MyanmarAMC4,224,0004,224,000
Flag of Iran.svg IranSFP4,216,8004,216,800
Flag of Kenya.svg KenyaAMC4,176,0004,176,000
Flag of Uganda.svg UgandaAMC3,552,0003,552,000
Flag of Sudan.svg SudanAMC3,396,0003,396,000
Flag of South Africa.svg South AfricaSFP2,976,000117,0003,093,000
Flag of the Taliban.svg AfghanistanAMC3,024,0003,024,000
Flag of South Korea.svg South KoreaSFP2,596,800117,0002,713,800
Flag of Colombia.svg ColombiaSFP2,553,600117,0002,670,600
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg UzbekistanAMC2,640,0002,640,000
Flag of Angola.svg AngolaAMC2,544,0002,544,000
Flag of Mozambique.svg MozambiqueAMC2,424,0002,424,000
Flag of Ghana.svg GhanaAMC2,412,0002,412,000
Flag of Ukraine.svg UkraineAMC2,215,200117,0002,332,200
Flag of Yemen.svg YemenAMC2,316,0002,316,000
Flag of Argentina.svg ArgentinaSFP2,275,2002,275,200
Flag of Nepal.svg   NepalAMC2,256,0002,256,000
Flag of Algeria.svg AlgeriaAMC2,200,8002,200,800
Flag of Cameroon.svg CameroonAMC2,052,0002,052,000
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Cote d'IvoireAMC2,040,0002,040,000
Flag of Iraq.svg IraqSFP2,018,4002,018,400
Flag of North Korea.svg North KoreaAMC1,992,0001,992,000
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaSFP1,903,2001,903,200
Flag of Morocco.svg MoroccoAMC1,881,6001,881,600
Flag of Niger.svg NigerAMC1,872,0001,872,000
Flag of Peru.svg PeruSFP1,653,600117,0001,770,600
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi ArabiaSFP1,747,2001,747,200
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri LankaAMC1,692,0001,692,000
Flag of Malaysia.svg MalaysiaSFP1,624,8001,624,800
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina FasoAMC1,620,0001,620,000
Flag of Mali.svg MaliAMC1,572,0001,572,000
Flag of Malawi.svg MalawiAMC1,476,0001,476,000
Flag of Zambia.svg ZambiaAMC1,428,0001,428,000
Flag of Venezuela.svg VenezuelaSFP1,425,6001,425,600
Non-UN Member StatesN/A1,303,2001,303,200
Flag of Cambodia.svg CambodiaAMC1,296,0001,296,000
Flag of Senegal.svg SenegalAMC1,296,0001,296,000
Flag of Chad.svg ChadAMC1,272,0001,272,000
Flag of Somalia.svg SomaliaAMC1,224,0001,224,000
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg ZimbabweAMC1,152,0001,152,000
Flag of Guinea.svg GuineaAMC1,020,0001,020,000
Flag of Syria.svg Syrian Arab RepublicAMC1,020,0001,020,000
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg BoliviaAMC900,00092,430992,430
Flag of Chile.svg ChileSFP957,600957,600
Flag of Benin.svg BeninAMC936,000936,000
Flag of Rwanda.svg RwandaAMC996,000102,9601,098,960
Flag of Ecuador.svg EcuadorSFP885,600885,600
Flag of Haiti.svg HaitiAMC876,000876,000
Flag of South Sudan.svg South SudanAMC864,000864,000
Flag of Guatemala.svg GuatemalaSFP847,200847,200
Flag of Tajikistan.svg TajikistanAMC732,000732,000
Flag of Tunisia.svg TunisiaAMC592,80093,600686,400
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New GuineaAMC684,000684,000
Flag of Togo.svg TogoAMC636,000636,000
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra LeoneAMC612,000612,000
Flag of Laos.svg LaosAMC564,000564,000
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican RepublicSFP542,400542,400
Flag of Jordan.svg JordanSFP511,200511,200
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg AzerbaijanSFP506,400506,400
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg Kyrgyz RepublicAMC504,000504,000
Flag of Nicaragua.svg NicaraguaAMC504,000504,000
Flag of Honduras.svg HondurasAMC496,800496,800
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg Congo, Rep.AMC420,000420,000
Flag of Liberia.svg LiberiaAMC384,000384,000
Flag of El Salvador.svg El SalvadorAMC324,00051,480375,480
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg Central African RepublicAMC372,000372,000
Flag of Mauritania.svg MauritaniaAMC360,000360,000
Flag of Paraguay.svg ParaguaySFP357,600357,600
Flag of Serbia.svg SerbiaSFP345,600345,600
Flag of Libya.svg LibyaSFP343,200343,200
Flag of Lebanon.svg LebanonSFP340,800340,800
Flag of Singapore.svg SingaporeSFP288,000288,000
Flag of Palestine.svg PalestineAMC240,00037,440277,440
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa RicaSFP254,400254,400
Flag of Oman.svg OmanSFP254,400254,400
Flag of New Zealand.svg New ZealandSFP249,600249,600
Flag of Panama.svg PanamaSFP216,000216,000
Flag of Georgia.svg GeorgiaSFP184,80029,250214,050
Flag of Mongolia.svg MongoliaAMC163,20025,740188,940
Flag of Moldova.svg MoldovaAMC156,00024,570180,570
Flag of The Gambia.svg Gambia, TheAMC180,000180,000
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and HerzegovinaSFP153,60023,400177,000
Flag of Uruguay.svg UruguaySFP172,800172,800
Flag of Lesotho.svg LesothoAMC156,000156,000
Flag of Armenia.svg ArmeniaSFP146,400146,400
Flag of Jamaica.svg JamaicaSFP146,400146,400
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg Guinea-BissauAMC144,000144,000
Flag of Qatar.svg QatarSFP144,000144,000
Flag of Albania.svg AlbaniaSFP141,600141,600
Flag of Namibia.svg NamibiaSFP127,200127,200
Flag of Botswana.svg BotswanaSFP117,600117,600
Flag of Bhutan.svg BhutanAMC108,0005,850113,850
Flag of Cape Verde.svg Cabo VerdeAMC108,0005,850113,850
Flag of the Comoros.svg ComorosAMC108,000108,000
Flag of Djibouti.svg DjiboutiAMC108,000108,000
Flag of Eswatini.svg EswatiniAMC108,000108,000
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg Solomon IslandsAMC108,000108,000
Flag of North Macedonia.svg North MacedoniaSFP103,200103,200
Flag of Maldives.svg MaldivesAMC108,0005,850113,850
Flag of the Bahamas.svg BahamasSFP100,800100,800
Flag of Bahrain.svg BahrainSFP100,800100,800
Flag of Barbados.svg BarbadosSFP100,800100,800
Flag of Belize.svg BelizeSFP100,800100,800
Flag of Brunei.svg Brunei DarussalamSFP100,800100,800
Flag of Fiji.svg FijiAMC100,800100,800
Flag of Guyana.svg GuyanaAMC100,800100,800
Flag of Kosovo.svg KosovoAMC100,800100,800
Flag of Mauritius.svg MauritiusSFP100,800100,800
Flag of East Timor.svg Timor-LesteAMC100,800100,800
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and TobagoSFP100,800100,800
Flag of Vanuatu.svg VanuatuAMC100,800100,800
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg Sao Tome and PrincipeAMC96,00096,000
Flag of Montenegro.svg MontenegroSFP84,00084,000
Flag of Samoa.svg SamoaAMC79,20079,200
Flag of Suriname.svg SurinameSFP79,20079,200
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg St. LuciaAMC74,40074,400
Flag of Kiribati.svg KiribatiAMC48,00048,000
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg Micronesia, Fed. Sts.AMC48,00048,000
Flag of Grenada.svg GrenadaAMC45,60045,600
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg St. Vincent and the GrenadinesAMC45,60045,600
Flag of Tonga.svg TongaAMC43,20043,200
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg Antigua and BarbudaSFP40,80040,800
Flag of Dominica.svg DominicaAMC28,80028,800
Flag of Andorra.svg AndorraSFP26,40026,400
Flag of the Marshall Islands.svg Marshall IslandsAMC24,00024,000
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg St. Kitts and NevisSFP21,60021,600
Flag of Monaco.svg MonacoSFP7,2007,200
Flag of Nauru.svg NauruSFP7,2007,200
Flag of Tuvalu.svg TuvaluAMC4,8004,800
TOTAL-227,664,00091,200,0001,200,420320,064,420

Participants (donors)

COVAX is principally funded by Western countries. [23] As of 19 February 2021, 30 countries have signed commitment agreements to the COVAX Facility as well as the European Union (apart from the individual member states). Although more than $6 billion was pledged, not all of the funding has been delivered yet. In April, the initiative wrote that it had not yet received its target of $3.2 billion for 2021. [41]

Although mainly funded by governments ("Official Development Assistance"), the COVAX scheme is also funded by private-sector and philanthropic contributions, and recipient countries may share some costs for vaccines and delivery. [25]

In May 2021, UNICEF made an urgent appeal to industrialised nations to pool their excess COVID-19 vaccine capacity to make up for a 125-million-dose gap in the COVAX program. Only a limited amount of vaccines are distributed efficiently, and the shortfall of vaccines in South America and parts of Asia are due to a lack of expedient donations by richer nations. International organisations have pointed at Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives as well as Argentina and Brazil, and some parts of the Caribbean as problem areas, where vaccines are in short supply. UNICEF has also been critical towards proposed donations of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines since these are not slated for delivery until the second half of 2021, or early 2022. [42]

COVAX-AMC donors as of 27 April 2022 [43]
(million USD)
DonorContributions
Flag of the United States.svg  United States of America 4,000.0
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1,653.9
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 1,500.0
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 735.2
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 669.2
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 549.2
Flag of Europe.svg European Commission 542.9
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 442.7
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 236.3
Flag of France.svg  France 229.0
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 210.0
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 197.7
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 159.1
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 157.5
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 150.0
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 127.2
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 108.7
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 100.0
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 86.7
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 50.0
Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin30.0
Mastercard 28.3
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 22.5
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 19.3
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 18.2
Gates Philanthropy Partners18.0
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 15.5
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 13.6
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 10.0
Shell 10.0
Twilio 10.0
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 8.5
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 8.0
Google.org 7.5
WHO Foundation - Go Give One Campaign6.0
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 5.7
KSRelief 5.3
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 5.0
Cisco 5.0
Procter & Gamble 5.0
TikTok 5.0
Wise 5.0
Visa Foundation4.5
Soccer Aid 4.2
Thistledown Foundation 3.9
Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain 2.5
Gamers without Borders / Ksrelief2.3
Vaccine Forward Initiative2.2
UBS Optimus Foundation2.1
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 1.8
Portuguese Private Sector1.8
Asia Philanthropy Circle1.5
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 1.1
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 1.0
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1.0
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 1.0
Analog Devices Foundation1.0
Stanley Black & Decker 1.0
Others246.1
Total12,445.7

Canada

Canada pledged $220 million worth of vaccines on 25 September 2020 to join as a self-financing contributor to COVAX. On 14 June, Canada doubled its pledge to add an additional 13 million doses of AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and NovaVax vaccines. This was in addition to the over 80 million available to purchase through financial contribution.[ citation needed ]

China

China joined COVAX on 9 October 2020. [44] The Sinopharm BIBP vaccine and CoronaVac (by Sinovac Biotech) are Chinese-developed vaccines approved by the WHO for distribution through COVAX. [45] By July 2021, GAVI had signed advanced purchase agreements for 170 million doses of the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine, 350 million doses of CoronaVac, and 414 million doses of SCB-2019, another vaccine in Phase III trials. [46] [47] On 8 August 2021, China pledges US$100 million towards equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for lower-income countries, brings the total raised for the Covax to nearly US$10 billion [48] Further, China's Leader Xi Jinping pledges 2 billion vaccines globally through year's end. According to AP News, China has already delivered 770 million doses to foreign countries since September 2020 (as of 6 August 2021) [49]

India

India joined COVAX through a membership with the GAVI alliance. [50] The Serum Institute of India is the main producer for the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, up to 700 million doses were expected for 2021. After initial deliveries to North Africa, West Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East in March and April 2021, India began to limit vaccine exports until the end of 2021, due to high domestic demand. [51] [52] [53] Based on the high infection rates in India, COVAX was projected to deliver only 145 million doses instead of 240 million by May 2021. Vaccine production was also negatively affected because of a ban by the U.S. on the export of key raw materials. [54] In September 2021, the Government of India announced the resumption of vaccines exports from October 2021 onwards since it had quadrupled its production and only excess supplies would be exported. [55]

European Union

As of November 2020, the European Union (EU) and EU members have pledged €870 million to COVAX. [56] The European Commission (EC) brought the EU into COVAX on 31 August 2020 and pledged €400 million in guarantees, [57] but did not state how this money would be paid out or its conditions. [58] The EC pledged a further €100 million from the 11th European Development Fund to COVAX via a grant to GAVI on 12 November. Individual EU member states have also made additional pledges; France donated an additional €100 million, Spain an additional €50 million, and Finland an additional €2 million. [56]

According to the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany has joined COVAX through the European Union and has pledged €300 million for the treatment of COVID-19 in developing nations bringing the total EU contribution to over €2.2 billion. [59]

On the consilium site, Team Europe reported a €2.47 billion donation. [60]

The Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a financing mechanism supported by donors and expedited by the European Investment Bank, provided free vaccinations to individuals in the world's 92 poorest countries. [61] [62] So far, more than 1.6 billion COVAX doses have been provided to poor nations, assisting in the vaccination of 52% of their population, compared to a global average of 64%. [61] [63] [64]

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has provided £548 million to Covax. [65] The United Kingdom was the biggest single donor to COVAX-AMC until being overtaken by the European Union and the United States. [66]

United States

Vaccines donated by the United States are transported in Ecuador in 2021 The United States Delivers COVID-19 Vaccine Doses to Ecuador (51296988809).jpg
Vaccines donated by the United States are transported in Ecuador in 2021

As part of its America First policy, [67] the Trump administration stated that it would not join COVAX because of its association with the WHO, [68] [69] from which it had begun a year-long withdrawal process on 6 July 2020. [70]

After Joe Biden was elected president in the 2020 election, he announced that the United States would remain in the WHO and would join COVAX on 20 January 2021. This reversal of American policy (announced by Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the President) was welcomed globally. [71] [72] On 19 February, the US pledged $4 billion, making it the single largest contributor to the fund. [73]

On 16 July 2021, the African Union (AU)/African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), COVAX and the United States government announced the donation of 25 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to 49 African countries. Afreximbank put in place a US$2 billion Advance Procurement Commitment (APC) Guarantee to obtain 400 million more doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, providing a total of 620 million doses to Africa by the end of 2021. The vaccines will be in part sourced from licensed production in South Africa, [74] and distributed by COVAX with the goal to vaccinate 60% of the population. [75]

United Arab Emirates

Since the UAE started producing Hayat-Vax in late March 2021, a rebranded version of the Chinese Sinopharm BIBP vaccine through a joint venture between Sinopharm and Group 42, the country has donated vaccine doses to several African countries. [76] [77] [78]

Private donors

It is possible for private donors to donate to COVAX through the "Go Give One" campaign. The WHO estimates the campaign's cost-effectiveness at one vaccine dose per US$7 donated. [79]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaccine diplomacy</span> Use of vaccines as international diplomacy

Vaccine diplomacy, a form of medical diplomacy, is the use of vaccines to improve a country's diplomatic relationship and influence of other countries. Meanwhile, vaccine diplomacy also "means a set of diplomatic measures taken to ensure access to the best practices in the development of potential vaccines, to enhance bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation between countries in conducting joint R&D, and, in the case of the announcement of production, to ensure the signing of a contract for the purchase of the vaccine at the shortest term." Although primary discussed in the context of the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, it also played a part in the distribution of the smallpox vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccination program in the Philippines is an ongoing mass immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country. The vaccination program was initiated by the Duterte administration on March 1, 2021, a day after the arrival of the country's first vaccine doses which were donated by the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deployment of COVID-19 vaccines</span> Distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations

As of 3 January 2024, 13.53 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 70.6 percent of the global population having received at least one dose. While 4.19 million vaccines were then being administered daily, only 22.3 percent of people in low-income countries had received at least a first vaccine by September 2022, according to official reports from national health agencies, which are collated by Our World in Data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Albania</span>

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Albania is a mass immunization campaign that was put in place by the Albanian authorities in order to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It started on 11 January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Canada</span> COVID-19 vaccination programme in Canada

COVID-19 vaccination in Canada is an ongoing, intergovernmental effort coordinated between the bodies responsible in the Government of Canada to acquire and distribute vaccines to individual provincial and territorial governments who in turn administer authorized COVID-19 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Provinces have worked with local municipal governments, hospital systems, family doctors and independently owned pharmacies to aid in part, or in full with vaccination rollout. The vaccination effort in full is the largest such immunization effort in the nation's history. The vaccination effort began December 14, 2020, and is currently ongoing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Moldova</span> Vaccination campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova

COVID-19 vaccination in Moldova started on 2 March 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moldova was very reliant on external help from other countries, having received donations of vaccines from Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and China. In fact, Moldova's vaccination campaign started due to a donation from Romania on 27 February 2021 composed of 21,600 Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses, with the first vaccinated person in the country being Alexandru Botizatu. Romania had promised earlier, on 29 December 2020, that it would help Moldova with a collaboration project which would include 200,000 vaccine doses to help Moldova combat the pandemic, but also other matters of the country. Romania subsequently made more donations on 27 March 2021 with 50,400 vaccine units; on 17 April 2021 with 132,000 vaccine doses, fulfilling its promise to Moldova; and on 7 May 2021 with 100,800 vaccine units even though this surpassed the promised 200,000 vaccine doses.

COVID-19 vaccination in Angola is an ongoing immunisation campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country. As of 15 June 2021, Angola has administered 1,314,375 doses of vaccines.822,109 people with the first dose and 492,266 people fully vaccinated. Angola began their vaccination program shortly after receiving their first shipment of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in early March 2021.

COVID-19 vaccination in Botswana is an ongoing immunisation campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Africa</span> Immunisation programme against COVID-19 in Africa

COVID-19 vaccination programs are ongoing in the majority countries and territories in Africa, with 51 of 54 African countries having launched vaccination programs by July 2021. As of October 2023, 51.8% of the continent's population is fully vaccinated with over 1084.5 million doses administered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Bhutan</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19

Bhutan has promised a free COVID-19 vaccination to all of its citizens, both inside and outside the country. It started mass vaccinations on 27 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19 in Vietnam

The COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam is an ongoing immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country. Following the approval of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on 30 January 2021, vaccinations commenced on 8 March 2021, and will continue throughout the year with the goal of vaccinating 80% of the population by June 2022. The Sputnik V was later approved for use on 23 March 2021. The Sinopharm BIBP vaccine was approved for emergency use on 4 June 2021, while Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and Janssen COVID-19 vaccine were approved on 12 June 2021, 29 June 2021, and 15 July 2021, respectively. Vietnam approved Abdala vaccine from Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology on 18 September 2021, and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech on 10 November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico is an ongoing immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia is an ongoing mass immunization in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. On 13 January 2021, the program commenced when President Joko Widodo was vaccinated at the presidential palace. In terms of total doses given, Indonesia ranks third in Asia and fifth in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh</span> Immunisation programme against COVID-19 in Bangladesh

Bangladesh began the administration of COVID-19 vaccines on 27 January 2021 while mass vaccination started on 7 February 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Nepal</span> Immunisation programme against COVID-19 in Nepal

Nepal began administration of COVID-19 vaccines on 27 January 2021. 1 million Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines were provided by India as a grant while Nepal brought 2 million doses from Serum Institute of India (SII) and was one of the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines. The delivery of the first 1 million doses arrived on 21 February. In March, India's decision to ban exports of vaccines created uncertainty over whether Nepal would be able to continue its vaccinations. By April, SII had only provided half of the 2 million doses for which Nepal had paid in full. A spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs rejected the notion of an export ban and said "We will export vaccines taking into account the domestic demand." By late July, there was still uncertainty in Nepal over when SII would deliver the vaccines that were purchased, although Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would "resume the supply of vaccines soon."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka is an ongoing immunisation campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country. As of late July, the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine accounted for 78% of the total 13.8 million vaccines obtained by Sri Lanka to date. The United States donated over 1.5 million Moderna vaccine through COVAX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccination in Taiwan is an ongoing immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country.

COVID-19 vaccination in Egypt is an ongoing immunisation campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country.

References

  1. 1 2 "COVAX explained". gavi.org. GAVI . Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  2. World Health Organization (15 July 2020). "More than 150 countries engaged in COVID-19 vaccine global access facility" . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  3. Gleeson, Deborah (11 April 2021). "The best hope for fairly distributing COVID-19 vaccines globally is at risk of failing. Here's how to save it". The Conversation. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. "Coronavirus: WHO chief criticizes 'shocking' global vaccine divide". BBC. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  5. @gavi (6 July 2021). "100 million doses delivered" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  6. Paun, Carmen (5 August 2021). "Gavi on the defensive over vaccine-equity effort" Politico. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  7. "COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard". unicef.org. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. Sharafudeen, Meghana; Mazur, Iryna (29 March 2021). "United States to host launch event for Gavi COVAX AMC 2021 investment opportunity". Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance . Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  9. Office of the Spokesperson (12 April 2021). "United States To Host Event To Launch the 2021 COVAX Investment Opportunity". United States Department of State . Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  10. U.S. Department of State; USAID; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (15 April 2021). "The Gavi COVAX AMC Investment Opportunity Launch Event Participant List" (PDF). Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance . Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  11. "Gavi COVAX AMC". Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance . 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. "Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  13. "Covaxin Gets WHO Approval, Finally". 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  14. "WHO lists 9th COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use with aim to increase access to vaccination in lower-income countries". World Health Organization (WHO) (Press release). Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  15. "WHO gives emergency approval to Sinopharm, first Chinese Covid-19 vaccine". The Daily Star. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  16. "WHO approves China's Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use". euronews. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  17. Widianto, Stanley (29 January 2021). "COVAX to ship enough shots for 3% of poor countries' populations in H1 – WHO". Reuters. Jakarta. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  18. "Comirnaty EPAR". European Medicines Agency (EMA). 21 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  19. "WHO issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine and emphasizes need for equitable global access". World Health Organization (WHO) (Press release). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  20. "Interim recommendations for use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, under Emergency Use Listing". World Health Organization (WHO). 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  21. World Health Organization (24 August 2020). "172 countries and multiple candidate vaccines engaged in COVID-19 vaccine Global Access Facility" (Press release). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  22. World Health Organization (18 December 2020). "COVAX Announces additional deals to access promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates; plans global rollout starting Q1 2021" (Press release). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 Gabriele Steinhauser, Ghana Is First Nation to Get Free Covid-19 Vaccines Under Covax Plan, The Wall Street Journal (24 February 2021).
  24. 1 2 92 low- and middle-income economies eligible to get access to COVID-19 vaccines through Gavi COVAX AMC, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (31 July 2020).
  25. 1 2 3 4 Seth Berkley. "The Gavi COVAX AMC Explained". Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
  26. Jerving, Sara (3 February 2021). "COVAX releases country-by-country of vaccine distribution figures". Devex. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  27. "COVAX publishes first interim distribution forecast". Gavi. 3 February 2021.
  28. 1 2 3 "The Covax Facility: Interim Distribution Forecast – latest as of 3 February 2021" (PDF). COVAX. 3 February 2021.
  29. "World's first COVID-19 vaccination compensation scheme launched". Health Europa. 23 February 2021. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  30. "Covid: WHO scheme Covax delivers first vaccines". BBC News. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  31. COVAX vaccines take to the air by drone
  32. Self-flying drones are helping speed deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines
  33. Ducharme, Jamie (1 March 2021). "The First COVID-19 Vaccines Shipped Through COVAX Were Administered in the Ivory Coast". Time. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  34. "Moldova becomes first European country to receive COVID-19 vaccines under COVAX scheme". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 March 2021.
  35. I.S. (25 March 2021). "U BiH preko COVAX-a došla i pošiljka vakcina AstraZenece" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  36. R.D. (2 March 2021). "Predsjednik Srbije Aleksandar Vučić sletio u Sarajevo s donacijom vakcina" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  37. G.M. (5 March 2021). "Borut Pahor u Predsjedništvu BiH, Slovenija donira 4.800 vakcina našoj zemlji" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  38. D. Saentis (8 June 2021). "Sinovac, Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccines prove highly effective in Uruguay -government" Reuters. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  39. "Venezuela to receive COVAX vaccines in coming days, Maduro says" Reuters. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  40. "Low Covid jab rates in poorer countries falsely blamed on ‘vaccine hesitancy’ – report" The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  41. "How can we vaccinate the world? Five challenges facing the UN-backed COVAX programme". UN News. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  42. "UN agencies make urgent appeal for COVAX vaccine doses". CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy). Retrieved June 2021.
  43. "Key Outcomes One World Protected - COVAX AMC Summit
    Assured resources for the Gavi COVAX AMC"
    (PDF). Gavi.
  44. Qian, Colin; Nebehay, Stephanie (9 October 2020). "China joins WHO-backed vaccine programme COVAX rejected by Trump". Reuters. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  45. Nebehay, Stephanie (1 June 2021). "WHO approves Sinovac COVID shot in second Chinese milestone". Reuters. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  46. "Chinese drugmakers agree to supply more than half a billion vaccines to COVAX". Reuters. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  47. "China's Clover to supply up to 414 mln COVID-19 doses to COVAX scheme". Reuters. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  48. "On Aug. 8, 2021, China pledges US$ 100 million towards equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for lower-income countries". Gavi.org. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  49. "China pledges 2 billion vaccines globally through year's end". APNews. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  50. GAVI (The Vaccine Alliance) – India. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  51. Beaumont, Peter (24 March 2021) "Delhi reportedly halts AstraZeneca Covid vaccine exports as cases soar". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  52. India coronavirus: Can all adults get vaccinated in 2021? BBC. Retrieved 23 June 2021
  53. McGregor, Grady (7 April 2021). "India’s record wave of COVID-19 infections threatens the global vaccine supply". Fortune. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  54. "Why Covid-19 Vaccination in Poorer Nations Has Slowed, Posing Global Risks". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  55. Arora, Neha; Das, Krishna N. (20 September 2021). "India to restart COVID vaccine exports to COVAX, neighbours". Reuters.
  56. 1 2 European Commission (12 November 2020). "EU increases its contribution to COVAX to €500 million to secure COVID-19 vaccines for low and middle-income countries" (Press release). Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  57. European Commission (31 August 2020). "Coronavirus Global Response: Commission joins the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX)" (Press release). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  58. Guarascio, Francesco; Nebehay, Stephanie (31 August 2020). "EU offers 400 million euros to WHO-led COVID-19 vaccine initiative". Reuters . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  59. "Corona-Impfstoff weltweit fair verteilen: GAVI kündigt erste Lieferung von Impfdosen über COVAX an". Federal Foreign Office (in German). Federal Republic of Germany. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  60. "EU's international solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic". Council of the European Union. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  61. 1 2 "The climate crisis is also a health crisis". European Investment Bank. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  62. "Gavi COVAX AMC". www.gavi.org. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  63. "COVAX calls for urgent action to close vaccine equity gap". www.who.int. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  64. "COVAX vaccine roll-out". www.gavi.org. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  65. "Corona-Covax: How will Covid vaccines be shared with poorer countries? an". BBC News . BBC. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  66. "Key Outcomes: COVAX AMC" (PDF). Gavi.
  67. Williams, Abigail (3 September 2020). "U.S. opts out of WHO-linked global COVID-19 vaccine effort". NBC News . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  68. Beer, Thomas (1 September 2020). "U.S. Won't Join Global Coronavirus Vaccine Effort Because It's Led By The WHO". Forbes . Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  69. Rauhala, Emily; Abutaleb, Yasmeen (1 September 2020). "U.S. says it won't join WHO-linked effort to develop, distribute coronavirus vaccine". The Washington Post . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  70. Smith, Allan; Perlmutter-Gumbiner, Elyse (7 July 2020). "Trump administration gives formal notice of withdrawal from WHO". NBC News . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  71. Nebehay, Stephanie (21 January 2021). "U.S., staying in WHO, to join COVID vaccine push for poor nations: Fauci". Reuters . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  72. Donato Paolo Mancini (21 January 2021). "US joins global vaccine efforts on Biden's first day". Financial Times.
  73. "Covid vaccines: G7 increase support for Covax scheme". BBC News. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  74. "COVID-19 tracker: EMA warns of a possible link between Johnson & Johnson vax and neurological disorder; EU lagging on vaccine donation pledge" FiercePharma. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  75. "US-donated vaccine deliveries to Africa set to begin, with first deliveries planned to Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Ethiopia" Gavi.org. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  76. "Western vaccine nationalism opening door for China to lead global recovery". South China Morning Post. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  77. "UAE launches COVID-19 vaccine production with China's Sinopharm". Reuters. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  78. "Covid-19 Africa: What is happening with vaccines?". BBC News. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  79. "Donate $7 for a COVID-19 vaccine to help end pandemic, WHO urges". Reuters. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.