COVAX Joint Statement on Bid Forecasts for 2021 and Beginning of 2022

Twelve months ago, the world came together to support COVAX, a multilateral initiative aimed at guaranteeing global access to life-saving vaccines against COVID-19.

With the support of the international community, COVAX immediately began securing funding, entering into negotiations with vaccine manufacturers and manufacturers, and addressing a range of technical and operational challenges associated with running the largest and most complex vaccination program in history.

COVAX has already made significant progress: more than $ 10 billion has been raised; legally binding commitments for up to 4.5 billion doses of vaccine; 240 million doses were delivered to 139 countries in just six months.

Nevertheless, the global picture of access to COVID-19 vaccines is unacceptable. Only 20% of people in low- and lower-middle-income countries received the first dose of the vaccine, compared with 80% in high- and high-middle-income countries.

In the critical months during which COVAX was created, participants signed up, pooled demand and raised enough money to buy vaccines in advance, most of the early global supply was already bought by rich nations. Today, COVAX’s ability to protect the world’s most vulnerable people continues to be hampered by export bans, prioritization in bilateral agreements between producers and countries, ongoing challenges in increasing production by some key producers, and delays in applying for regulatory approval.

According to their latest Bid anticipation, COVAX expects to have access to 1.425 billion doses of vaccine in 2021, in the most likely scenario and in the absence of emergency measures by manufacturers and high-coverage countries to give COVAX priority. Of these doses, approximately 1.2 billion will be available for lower-income economies participating in the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). This is enough to protect 20% of the population, or 40% of all adults, in all 92 AMC economies, with the exception of India. More than 200 million doses will be awarded to self-financing participants. A key milestone in COVAX’s two billion doses released for delivery is expected to be reached in the first quarter of 2022.

In addition to working closely with participating governments to ensure existing field conditions to facilitate the successful introduction of the vaccine, COVAX and its partners call on donors and manufacturers to regain their support and prevent further delays in equal access by ensuring the following:

• Manufacturers deliver COVAX in accordance with firm commitments and ensure transparency in the timeframes for the availability of COVAX to allow countries to plan ahead.
• Where countries in front of COVAX are in the production lines, and have already achieved high coverage, they have given their place in the queue for COVAX so that its participants can access already secured doses through supply contracts and deliver vaccines where they are most needed.
• Expand, accelerate and systematize dose donations from countries that are already well advanced in their vaccination programs. This includes providing available doses in larger and more predictable quantities, with a longer shelf life – thus reducing the burden on countries trying to prepare for deliveries.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take lives, destroy livelihoods and hamper economic recovery, we continue to stress that no one is safe until everyone is safe. There is only one way to end the pandemic and prevent the emergence of new and stubborn variants, and that is working together.

Notes for editors

About COVAX

COVAX, the COVID-19 Access Accelerator (ACT) vaccine pillar, was jointly convened by the Coalition for Innovation in Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), Gavi, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – working in partnership with UNICEF as a key implementing partner, vaccine manufacturers in developed and developing countries, the World Bank and others. It is the only global initiative working with governments and manufacturers to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher- and lower-income countries.

The role of CEPI in COVAX

CEPI is a leader in COVAX vaccine research and development portfolio, investing in research and development among the various promising candidates, with the aim of supporting the development of three safe and effective vaccines that can be made available to COVAX countries. As part of this work, CEPI has provided a number of candidates with the first right to refuse potentially over one billion doses for the COVAX Facility, and has made strategic investments in vaccine production, including reserving capacity to produce vaccine doses against COVAX in the facility network and securing glass vials. 2 billion doses of vaccine. CEPI is also investing in the ‘next generation’ of vaccine candidates, which will give the world additional opportunities to control COVID-19 in the future.

Gavi’s role in COVAX

Gavi leads procurement and extensive delivery for COVAX: design and management COVAX facility and Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its traditional Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. As part of this role, Gavi hosts the Office of the COVAX Facility for Coordination and Management of the Mechanism as a whole, has financial and legal relations with 193 participants of the Instrument and manages COVAX Facility job portfolio: negotiating pre-purchase agreements with manufacturers of promising vaccine candidates to provide doses on behalf of all COVAX participants. Gavi also coordinates the design, operationalization, and fundraising for Gavi COVAX AMC, a mechanism that provides access to donor-funded vaccine doses for 92 lower-income economies. As part of this work, Gavi provides funding and oversight for UNICEF’s procurement and delivery of vaccines to all AMC participants – operating advance purchase agreements between Gavi and manufacturers – as well as support for partner and government work on readiness and delivery. This includes tailored support to governments, UNICEF, WHO and other partners for cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles and other aspects of an extremely complex logistics delivery operation. Gavi has also co-designed, raised funds and supported the operationalization of the AMC there is no error compensation mechanism as well as COVAX humanitarian tampon.

The role of the WHO in COVAX

The WHO has several roles COVAX: Provides normative guidance on vaccine policy, regulations, safety, research and development, distribution, and country readiness and delivery. Its Strategic Expert Advisory Group (SAGE) on immunization develops evidence-based immunization policy recommendations. Its Emergency Users List (EUL) / pre-qualification programs ensure harmonized review and authorization in all Member States. It provides global coordination and support to Member States in monitoring vaccine safety. It has developed target product profiles for COVID-19 vaccines and provides technical coordination of research and development. WHO leads, together with UNICEF, Workflow for country readiness and delivery, which provides support to countries in preparing to receive and administer vaccines. In addition to Gavi and a number of other partners working globally, regionally and nationally, the CRD workflow provides tools, guidance, monitoring and field technical assistance for planning and deployment. vaccines. With COVAX partners, WHO has developed And error-free compensation scheme as part of time-limited indemnification and liability

The role of UNICEF in COVAX

UNICEF uses its experience as the largest individual buyer of vaccines in the world and cooperates with manufacturers and partners in the procurement of doses of vaccines against COVID-19, as well as in transport, logistics and storage. UNICEF already procures more than 2 billion doses of vaccine annually for routine immunization and response to the outbreak on behalf of nearly 100 countries. In partnership with Revolving fund PAHO, UNICEF is leading efforts procure and deliver doses of COVID-19 vaccine for COVAX. In addition, UNICEF, Gavi and WHO are working non-stop with governments to ensure that countries are ready to receive vaccines, with appropriate on-site cold chain equipment and health workers trained to issue them. UNICEF also plays a leading role in efforts to build trust in vaccines, delivering communication on trust in vaccines and monitoring and addressing misinformation around the world.

About ACT-Accelerator

Access to COVID-19 tools ACT-Accelerator is a new, revolutionary global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equal access to tests, treatments and vaccines on COVID-19. It was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March and was launched by the WHO, the European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020.

The ACT-Accelerator is not a decision-making body or a new organization, but works to accelerate joint efforts among existing organizations to end a pandemic. It is a collaborative framework designed to bring key players to the table with a view to ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through accelerated development, equitable distribution and increased delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, protecting system health and rebuilding societies and economies in the near future. It draws on the experience of leading global health organizations that address the world’s most pressing health challenges and that working together can uncover new and more ambitious results in the fight against COVID-19. Its members share a commitment to provide all people with access to all the tools needed to combat COVID-19 and to work at unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve this.

The ACT-Accelerator has four areas of operation: diagnostics, therapy, vaccines, and a health system connection. Interconnected all of this is a workflow on access and distribution.