WHO presses for greater investment in global COVID-19 vaccine facility

Investing in a mechanism that will guarantee all countries have fair and timely access to a COVID-19 vaccine is the only way out of the global pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. So far, 172 countries are engaging with the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility, which aims to deliver two billion doses by the end of next year, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists. “Investing in the COVAX Facility is the fastest way to end this pandemic and ensure a sustainable economic recovery,” he said.

Last week, Mr. Tedros made a push for countries to join the facility, which currently has nine vaccines in its portfolio and another nine under evaluation. “As governments invest trillions into economic stimulus, the COVAX Facility offers a huge return on investment. There is light at the end of tunnel and as I said last week, together we can do it.” The COVAX Facility is the vaccine arm of an initiative to speed up the development of COVID-19 treatments and make them accessible to people worldwide, known as the ACT-Accelerator.

Through the facility, countries will jointly procure and pool risk across multiple vaccines, eventually leading to the equitable rollout of safe and effective treatment against the disease. The WHO chief reported that a number of vaccines are now in the final stage of clinical trials, with the hope that many will be both safe and effective. Mr. Tedros explained that due to the initial limited supply, vaccine doses would go to those at highest risk of the disease such as health workers, people over 65 years old, and people with certain illnesses who are at higher risk of dying from COVID-19.

Nations have until 31 August to express their interest in joining, with confirmation due by 18 September. Initial payments should be made by 9 October. There is also another benefit: protection against “vaccine nationalism”, according to the WHO chief. However, Mr. Tedros stressed that the facility’s success will require filling funding gaps for research and development, and supporting lower-income countries. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist, said the agency is aware of several ongoing clinical trials during the pandemic.

Source: The UN