"Landmark" deal signed for fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines

A “landmark” deal has been agreed between 156 countries in an aim to ensure a fairer distribution of eventual Covid-19 vaccines around the world.

The Covax Facility was set up between the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi, in an effort to “ensure fair allocation of vaccine supply”. The collaboration hopes to be able fund 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by 2021.

Covax was launched in April as one of three pillars of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The ACT was set up by WHO, the European Commission and France to provide innovative and equitable access to Covid-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. As part of Covax, 92 middle and lower-income countries that cannot fully afford to pay for Covid-19 vaccines get equal access as higher-income countries, at the same time. This is being ensured through a key funding target of $2 billion, of which $700 million has been raised so far from both philanthropic donators and the private sector.

Now, another 64 countries have signed up to the Covax Facility, meaning that around 64% of the global population are represented through the initiative. Partners of Covax will work together on a methodology to fairly allocate a Covid-19 vaccine, likely prioritising at-risk populations including healthcare workers and adults over 65 years of age.

Through Covax, governments, vaccine manufactures, organisations and indviduals have committed $1.4 billion towards vaccines research and development, but a further $800 million is required to move the portfolio forward. This is in addition to the $300 million needed to fund WHO’s Solidarity Trial.

The Covax Facility sees participating economies pool both financial and scientific resources to insure themselves against the failure of any individual vaccine candidate.

Covax will now start signing formal agreements with vaccine manufacturers and developers to secure the doses needed for 2021.

“Covax is now in business: governments from every continent have chosen to work together, not only to secure vaccines for their own populations, but also to help ensure that vaccines are available to the most vulnerable everywhere,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is coordinating the Covax Facility. “With the commitments we’re announcing today for the Covax Facility, as well as the historic partnership we are forging with industry, we now stand a far better chance of ending the acute phase of this pandemic once safe, effective vaccines become available.”

“This is a landmark moment in the history of public health with the international community coming together to tackle this pandemic. The global spread of Covid-19 means that it is only through equitable and simultaneous access to new lifesaving Covid-19 vaccines that we can hope to end this pandemic”, added Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. “Countries coming together in this way shows a unity of purpose and resolve to end the acute phase of this pandemic, and we must now work closely with vaccine manufacturers—who play an integral part in the global response—to put in place the agreements needed to fulfil Covax’s core aim: to have two billion vaccine doses available by the end of 2021. Today, we have taken a great leap towards that goal, for the benefit of all.”

Higher income governments signed up to Covax will now have to provide upfront payments by 9 October to reserve doses of vaccines. These funds will be used to accelerate the scale-up of vaccine manufacturing to reach Covax’s goal of 2 billion doses by 2021.

“Covid-19 is an unprecedented global crisis that demands an unprecedented global response,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Vaccine nationalism will only perpetuate the disease and prolong the global recovery. Working together through the COVAX Facility is not charity, it’s in every country’s own best interests to control the pandemic and accelerate the global economic recovery.”