Joint statement on donating doses of COVID-19 vaccine to African countries

Building on the lessons learned from our shared experience with donation donations over the past few months, the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and COVAX want to draw international attention to the situation with COVID vaccine donations. -19 Africa and other economies participating in COVAX, in particular those supported by the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).

AVAT and COVAX complement each other in their efforts to support African countries to meet their immunization, recognizing the global goal of immunizing 70% of the African population. Dose donations have been an important source of supply, while other sources are being strengthened, but the quality of donations needs to be improved.

AVAT and COVAX are focused on accelerating access to and introduction of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa. Together, we are rapidly expanding supplies on the continent and providing support to countries so that they can take advantage of the doses they receive. To date, over 90 million donated doses have been delivered to the continent through COVAX and AVAT, and another million through bilateral agreements.

However, most of the donations so far have been ad hoc, with little announcement and short duration. As a result, it has become extremely challenging for countries to plan vaccination campaigns and increase absorption capacity. In order to achieve higher coverage rates across the continent and to make donations a sustainable source of supply that can complement the supply from the AVAT and COVAX purchase agreements, this trend needs to change.

Countries need a predictable and reliable supply. Short-term planning and ensuring short-term dose delivery exponentially increases the logistical burden of health systems that are already burdened. Furthermore, ad hoc supply of this kind uses capacities – human resources, infrastructure, cold chain – that could be geared towards long-term successful and sustainable deployment. It also dramatically increases the risk of expiration once doses with an already short shelf life arrive in the country, which can have long-term consequences for confidence in the vaccine.

Grants to COVAX, AVAT and African countries must be made in a way that allows countries to effectively mobilize domestic resources to support deployment and allows for long-term planning to increase coverage rates. We call on the international community, especially donors and producers, to commit to this effort by adhering to the following standards, starting on 1 January 2022:

• Quantity and predictability: Donor countries should seek to release donated doses in large quantities and in a predictable manner, in order to reduce transaction costs. We accept and welcome the progress made in this area, but note that the frequency of exceptions to this approach places an additional burden on countries, AVAT and COVAX.
• Purpose: These doses should not be intended for maximum efficacy and to support long-term planning. Dedicated allocation significantly complicates the distribution of supply on the basis of equity and the calculation of the absorption capacity of certain countries. It also increases the risk that short-term donations use the capacity of the cold chain of countries – a capacity that is then unavailable when AVAT or COVAX allocate longer-term doses under their own purchase agreements.
• Expiration date: By default, donated doses should have a minimum shelf life of 10 weeks when they arrive in the country, with limited exceptions only when recipient countries indicate a willingness and ability to absorb doses with a shorter shelf life.
• Early notice: Recipient countries must be aware of the availability of donated doses at least 4 weeks before their trial arrival in the country.
• Response time: All stakeholders should strive to provide a prompt response to relevant information. This includes relevant information on the supply from the producer (total quantities available for donation, shelf life, place of production), confirmation of the donation offer by the donor and acceptance / rejection of the grant from the countries. Last-minute information can further complicate processes, increasing transaction costs, reducing available life, and increasing the risk of expiration.
• auxiliary elements: Most donations to date do not include the necessary vaccine supplies such as syringes and thinner, nor do they cover transportation costs – meaning they have to be procured separately – leading to additional costs, complexity and delays. Donated doses should be accompanied by all essential excipients to ensure rapid distribution and absorption.

AVAT, the African CDC and COVAX remain committed to working with donor countries, vaccine manufacturers and partners to ensure compliance with these standards, as we continue to work together to achieve African vaccination goals.

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Notes for editors

About the African Union

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as the successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). https://au.int/en/overview

About Africa CDC

The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a specialized African Union technical institution that strengthens the capacity and capacity of African public health facilities, as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease and outbreak threats, based on interventions and programs. data-based. Learn more at: www.africacdc.org

About African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT)

The African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) is a special purpose company, founded in Mauritius. AVAT acts as a centralized procurement agent on behalf of African Union (AU) member states to provide the necessary vaccines and combined funding to achieve an African vaccination strategy against COVID-19 that aims to vaccinate at least 70% of the African population based on Africa-wide access. AVAT has established an African COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Working Team, established in November 2020 by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, as President of the African Union (AU), as a component of support for the Immunization Strategy against COVID-19 approved by the Office of the Heads of State and Government of the AU in August 2020. AVAT’s main partner institutions are the African Disease Control and Prevention Center of the African Union (Africa CDC), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa ( ECA).

About COVAX

COVAX, vaccine pole COVID-19 (ACT) tool accelerator access., run jointly by CEPI, Gavi and WHO – working in partnership with UNICEF and PAHO as delivery partners, 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 and in high- and low-income countries.