The United Nations needs another $35 billion to fully fund its global vaccine access program. Germany has so far pledged almost €800 million. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged €100 million ($117 million) on Wednesday to help developing countries procure future vaccines for the coronavirus. The commitment comes after Germany already pledged €675 million at two previous donor conferences. “Today, I am in a position to announce another €100 million that we have earmarked as special funds for Gavi,” she said through a translator, referring to the vaccine alliance. “This is Germany’s contribution towards ensuring that developing countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines,” Merkel added. She said the pandemic must be tackled on a global level and called on countries to get involved in the program.
The announcement came as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to help fund the World Health Organization’s global vaccine plan. Guterres said the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator program and its COVAX facility had already received €3 billion but needs another €35 billion for full funding. The program aims to deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19, 245 million treatments and 500 million tests to developing countries by the end of next year. “The ACT-Accelerator provides the only safe and certain way to reopen the global economy as quickly as possible. A national vaccine effort in a handful of countries will not unlock the doors to the global economy and restore livelihoods,” Guterres told a high-level virtual UN event.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab pledged an additional 250 million pounds ($322 million, €275 million), so long as other countries joined the fundraising drive. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven pledged $10 million while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted a $440 million commitment made last week. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates addressed the summit, announcing that his foundation had signed a new agreement with 16 biotech firms to expand global access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. He said the world was on the brink of a “great scientific achievement” in the form of a vaccine, but that low- and middle-income countries were only on track to cover just 14% of their populations with a COVID-19 vaccine.
Source: DW
Finnish site 
Global site