What do we know so far about COVAX?
What do we know so far about COVAX?
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COVAX is the largest international partnership for COVID-19 vaccine development and equitable distribution in the world. As many countries may struggle to afford the amount of vaccine dosages necessary to treat their populations, COVAX helps guarantee a share of doses for each eligible participant country (also called 'economy') and will ensure countries are not pushed to the back of the line or unable to receive the most effective vaccines according to their financial abilities. COVAX secures agreements with numerous vaccine producers directly so that the risks of paying for on only one or two vaccine candidates are minimized as the organization is working with roughly 10 companies. This means that if a vaccine is not shown to be effective or cannot get appropriate authorization in individual countries, there are still other vaccines in the COVAX portfolio that might meet these standards. As of December 8, 2020, 189 countries are participating in the COVAX Facility program for fair and equitable distribution of an eventual licensed vaccine, assuring that each participating country would receive a guaranteed share of doses to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of its population by the end of 2021.
COVAX is the largest international partnership for COVID-19 vaccine development and equitable distribution in the world. As many countries may struggle to afford the amount of vaccine dosages necessary to treat their populations, COVAX helps guarantee a share of doses for each eligible participant country (also called 'economy') and will ensure countries are not pushed to the back of the line or unable to receive the most effective vaccines according to their financial abilities. COVAX secures agreements with numerous vaccine producers directly so that the risks of paying for on only one or two vaccine candidates are minimized as the organization is working with roughly 10 companies. This means that if a vaccine is not shown to be effective or cannot get appropriate authorization in individual countries, there are still other vaccines in the COVAX portfolio that might meet these standards. As of December 8, 2020, 189 countries are participating in the COVAX Facility program for fair and equitable distribution of an eventual licensed vaccine, assuring that each participating country would receive a guaranteed share of doses to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of its population by the end of 2021.
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COVAX is the largest international partnership for COVID-19 vaccine development and equitable distribution in the world. As many countries may struggle to afford the amount of vaccine dosages necessary to treat their populations, COVAX helps guarantee a share of doses for each eligible participant country (also called 'economy') and will ensure countries are not pushed to the back of the line or unable to receive the most effective vaccines according to their financial abilities. COVAX secures agreements with numerous vaccine producers directly so that the risks of paying for on only one or two vaccine candidates are minimized as the organization is working with roughly 10 companies. This means that if a vaccine is not shown to be effective or cannot get appropriate authorization in individual countries, there are still other vaccines in the COVAX portfolio that might meet these standards. As of December 8, 2020, 189 countries are participating in the COVAX Facility program for fair and equitable distribution of an eventual licensed vaccine, assuring that each participating country would receive a guaranteed share of doses to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of its population by the end of 2021.
COVAX is the largest international partnership for COVID-19 vaccine development and equitable distribution in the world. As many countries may struggle to afford the amount of vaccine dosages necessary to treat their populations, COVAX helps guarantee a share of doses for each eligible participant country (also called 'economy') and will ensure countries are not pushed to the back of the line or unable to receive the most effective vaccines according to their financial abilities. COVAX secures agreements with numerous vaccine producers directly so that the risks of paying for on only one or two vaccine candidates are minimized as the organization is working with roughly 10 companies. This means that if a vaccine is not shown to be effective or cannot get appropriate authorization in individual countries, there are still other vaccines in the COVAX portfolio that might meet these standards. As of December 8, 2020, 189 countries are participating in the COVAX Facility program for fair and equitable distribution of an eventual licensed vaccine, assuring that each participating country would receive a guaranteed share of doses to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of its population by the end of 2021.
Context and background
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator in April of 2020 along with the European Commission, France, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in response to the pandemic. The ACT Accelerator is a global collaboration that works to speed up the development, production, and equitable distribution and access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. The accelerator has four branches: 1) Diagnostics, 2) Therapeutics and 3) Vaccines (also known as COVAX), while the 4) Health Systems Connector pillar works with each of the first three groups. Each pillar is managed by 2-3 partner agencies. The third pillar of the accelerator is called the COVID‑19 Vaccines Global Access but is more commonly known as COVAX. This group is led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); and WHO. The aim of COVAX is to accelerate the development and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world. Globally, COVAX currently has the largest portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines in development (over 10). This group also includes the COVAX Facility for the global procurement of vaccines, which has engaged nearly 200 countries in its planning to secure 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by early 2021. Gavi describes COVAX as "Bringing together governments, global health organisations, manufacturers, scientists, private sector, civil society and philanthropy, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. It is the only truly global solution to this pandemic because it is the only effort to ensure that people in all corners of the world will get access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, regardless of their wealth."
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator in April of 2020 along with the European Commission, France, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in response to the pandemic. The ACT Accelerator is a global collaboration that works to speed up the development, production, and equitable distribution and access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. The accelerator has four branches: 1) Diagnostics, 2) Therapeutics and 3) Vaccines (also known as COVAX), while the 4) Health Systems Connector pillar works with each of the first three groups. Each pillar is managed by 2-3 partner agencies. The third pillar of the accelerator is called the COVID‑19 Vaccines Global Access but is more commonly known as COVAX. This group is led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); and WHO. The aim of COVAX is to accelerate the development and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world. Globally, COVAX currently has the largest portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines in development (over 10). This group also includes the COVAX Facility for the global procurement of vaccines, which has engaged nearly 200 countries in its planning to secure 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by early 2021. Gavi describes COVAX as "Bringing together governments, global health organisations, manufacturers, scientists, private sector, civil society and philanthropy, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. It is the only truly global solution to this pandemic because it is the only effort to ensure that people in all corners of the world will get access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, regardless of their wealth."
