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SINGAPORE – Singapore and Switzerland are jointly chairing a global initiative to support equitable access to a Covid-19 vaccine, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Thursday (September 17).
Singapore is an early sponsor of the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) facility, Heng said in a Facebook post, and co-chairs the Friends of the Covax Facility initiative with Switzerland, to promote vaccine multilateralism.
Early in the evening, Mr. Heng, together with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, participated in the Joint Meeting of Finance and Health Ministers hosted by the Chairman of the Group of 20 (G-20) Saudi Arabia.
Thanking his Saudi counterparts for their leadership in global efforts to combat the pandemic, Heng, who is also the coordinating minister for economic policy, said: “Health and finance have always been closely intertwined, and in a pandemic, this is even more. “
He noted that countries, international organizations and the private sector are “joining forces to accelerate vaccine development, maximize manufacturing capacity and ensure equitable distribution.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health previously said that Singapore was one of the first countries to send an expression of interest to join the Covax Facility in June.
The Covax financing scheme will allow rapid and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for the 76 countries involved, along with 92 other poorer countries that are supported by the scheme.
The plan is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the World Health Organization (WHO); and the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness. Working with multinational and developing country vaccine manufacturers, the Covax Facility aims to deliver two billion doses of safe and effective vaccines that have passed regulatory approval and / or WHO prequalification by the end of next year.
In his post, Heng said: “Covid-19 is a global crisis, so international cooperation is critical. The G-20, which covers nearly 80 percent of the global economy, and the World Health Organization have key roles to play. “
G-20 finance and health ministers said in a statement last night that equitable and affordable access to vaccines for all is key to overcoming the pandemic and supporting the global economic recovery.
“We will continue to use all available policy tools to safeguard people’s lives, jobs and incomes,” the group said, adding that an action plan will be presented at the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G-20 next month, and then the G-20 leaders summit in November.
Heng also stressed that as countries safely restart their economies, they need to coordinate the resumption of their activities. “As we restart air travel, testing will be key to providing safety for travelers and public health authorities. We must work together to develop international standards and share test results quickly, including through electronic means.” said.
“We must also continue to identify gaps and strengthen our health and financial resilience against future outbreaks.”
The meeting comes as a study published by Oxfam showed that a group of wealthy countries that make up only 13 percent of the world’s population have purchased more than half of the promised stocks of Covid-19 vaccines.
Global coronavirus cases also crossed the 30 million mark yesterday, with more than 940,000 deaths and the pandemic shows no signs of abating.
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