The UN welcomes nearly a billion dollars in recent promises

Launched just five months ago, ACT-Accelerator is an unprecedented global collaboration of the world’s leading international health organizations working together to accelerate the development, production and fair delivery of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.

“We have a duty to ensure that vaccines, treatments and tests for COVID-19 are available to all – stopping the global spread of the pandemic protects the British and will bring humanity on the road to recovery. Cooperation through the ACT accelerator is crucial to promote development, production and access to all countries, “he said. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The United Kingdom recently set aside £ 571 million (approximately $ 732 million) for COVAX. This includes up to £ 500 million for Gavi’s Advanced Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines (COVAX AMC) – a funding instrument that encourages vaccine manufacturers to produce enough vaccines against COVID-19 to ensure access to developing countries.

Today, the UK Foreign Secretary asked for additional support, promising that this £ 500m commitment would include £ 1 (IS $ 1.29) in appropriate funding for every $ 4 that others have committed up to £ 250m (approximately £ 321). million USD).

Germany, Canada and Sweden also committed to COVAX AMC in the amount of EUR 100 million, USD 220 million and USD 10 million. They qualify for today’s UK obligations.

“Science gives us solutions in the form of new tests, therapy and – hopefully – vaccines. But science and solutions will be ineffective without solidarity, ” He said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“I am grateful for the generous financial commitments we have made today, but we still have a significant funding shortfall to address it. Full funding for the ACT accelerator will help control the pandemic, restore confidence and boost global recovery. Honestly, this is not a financial challenge, it is a test of solidarity. This is the moment to say no to nationalism and to our common humanity. Because ultimately, the ACT Accelerator doesn’t just deliver vaccines, diagnostics, and therapy. It brings something far more important – hope. “

“We have to face this health crisis as a global challenge, together in solidarity and mutual cooperation, working on a global solution. We need to generate the key tests, treatments and vaccines we all need and make sure they are distributed equally to the people who need them most, no matter where they live and whether their country is rich or not, ”he said. South African Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize, adding that large sections of the population, especially in developing countries, remain “vulnerable and marginalized during this pandemic”.

Today’s event highlighted the significant results achieved by the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator initiative since launch: the availability of 120 million affordable and high-quality rapid tests for low- and middle-income countries; breakthrough in experiments with Dexamethasone and its rapid introduction – the only drug that has been found to significantly affect patient mortality; creation of the COVAX Facility – a global mechanism to ensure equal access to possible vaccines against COVID-19 regardless of income, and consists of 168 farms and the largest and most diverse vaccine portfolio in the world, with nine vaccines under evaluation, eight in Clinical Trials.

In another significant show of support, a coalition of 16 pharmaceutical companies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation signed an agreement to work together to produce vaccines and increase production at an unprecedented rate, ensuring approved vaccines are more widely available and distributed as early as possible.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said, “One thing I’ve learned from studying the history of pandemics is that they create surprising dynamics when it comes to self-interest and altruism. Pandemics are rare cases where a country’s instinct to help is closely aligned with its instinct to help others. Selfish and altruistic the thing – ensuring poor nations have access to vaccines – are one and the same. “

“Numerous countries, and most recently the United Kingdom and Canada, are good models of what other rich countries should do. They donated enough money to COVAX, the ACT-accelerator vaccine column, to procure, probably, hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine for poor countries. But more will be needed and I hope rich nations will continue to be generous. ”

The World Bank announced plans this week for a significant financial commitment to support developing countries in purchasing COVID-19 as soon as they become available.

World Bank President David Malpass he said that once the plans are ratified by stakeholders, “the availability of funding of up to $ 12 billion will change the game, because once a safe and effective vaccine is available, it will allow people to move on with their lives for sure.”

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