COVAX Facility country consultations conclude with participation from at least 136 countries
Briefings led by Gavi, CEPI and WHO over the past two weeks saw participation from at least 136 countries interested in joining a COVAX Facility aimed at guaranteeing equitable access to eventual COVID-19 vaccines.
- 24 July 2020
- 2 min read
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Briefings led by Gavi, CEPI and WHO over the past two weeks saw participation from at least 136 countries interested in joining a COVAX Facility aimed at guaranteeing equitable access to eventual COVID-19 vaccines.
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COVAX aims to make 2 billion doses available to participating countries by the end of 2021; enough to immunise 20% of participating countries’ populations, regardless of income level.
At least 136 countries joined dedicated consultation sessions with a view to potentially joining the COVAX Facility, a procurement mechanism designed to guarantee fair and equitable allocation of COVID-19 vaccines, once they come available.
The COVAX Facility is part of the broader COVAX initiative, an end-to-end solution that aims to harness the world’s largest and most diverse actively managed portfolio of COVID-19 vaccine candidates to deliver 2 billion doses of vaccines, enough to immunize those most at risk from COVID-19 and bring about the end of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic by the end of 2021.
The purpose of the consultation sessions was to explain in more detail how countries can participate in this global effort which will pool resources, share the risks associated with developing vaccines and invest up-front in manufacturing to rapidly achieve the scale of supply necessary to immunize large portions of the global population.
75 of the countries attending the consultation sessions had previously submitted non-binding expressions of interest in becoming self-financing participants in the COVAX Facility. They would participate in the initiative alongside up to 90 lower-income countries that could be supported by Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC).
