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RIO – The Covax alliance, which aims to guarantee vaccines against Covid-19 for the world’s most vulnerable populations, announced on Friday (18) that it had access to almost 2 billion doses of immunizers, practically doubling its supply, with the First deliveries planned for the first quarter of 2021.
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The initiative led by the Global Alliance for Vaccination, Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition of Innovations in Preparedness for Epidemics (CEPI), said it aims to deliver 1.3 billion doses of approved vaccines next year. . 92 eligible low- and middle-income economies.
The 190 economies that agreed to participate in the program “will have access to the doses in the first half of 2021, with the first deliveries scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2021, depending on regulatory approvals and countries’ preparation for the delivery, “it said in a statement. Release.
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Brazil is one of the countries that are part of the alliance and ordered 42.5 million doses of vaccine from the consortium.
“Today’s announcements offer the clearest way to end the acute phase of the pandemic, protecting the most vulnerable populations around the world,” Covax added in the statement.
New agreements
New agreements announced Friday include an advance purchase commitment with AstraZeneca for 170 million doses and a memorandum of understanding for 500 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said Covax is also in talks with Pfizer and BioNtech, whose Covid-19 immunizer won regulatory approval in the United States last week and in the United Kingdom this month. The group is also in negotiations with Moderna, which hopes its vaccine will be approved soon, he said.
Getting the vaccine doses to poor countries is a great challenge, as rich countries are determined to vaccinate their entire population as soon as possible. The UK and European Union countries are Covax’s main donors, while the US and China have made no financial commitments. The initiative is also funded by multilateral creditors like the World Bank and private charities like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday’s announcement of additional doses of Covid-19 vaccine for Covax was “fantastic news and a milestone in global health.”
Gavi CEO Seth Berkley said the goal of providing a global and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines is “alive and well.”
“But we still need more doses, and yes, we still need more money,” Berkley added.
