When a COVID-19 Vaccine is Ready, The “COVAX Facility” Will Bring it to the World’s Population

“The greatest act of courage is to play as a team,” she told a virtual World Health Assembly in a comment apparently aimed at the United States, which has threatened to withdraw its membership of the World Health Organization.
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On this occasion, Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Commission is ready to join the COVAX Facility.

The COVAX Facility is a coordinated pooled procurement system for the new COVID-19 vaccines by which COVAX aims to ensure equal and fair access for each participating economy, using the allocation structure currently developed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

When a COVID-19 Vaccine is available, most of the world will have access to it thanks to a unique platform for international cooperation called The COVAX Facility.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
No country, no continent, can defeat the coronavirus on its own. We have to join forces. And that is what the two campaigns 'Coronavirus Global Response' and 'Global Goal: Unite' are doing. We have raised almost 16 billion euros so far and we have set up a global corporation framework 'The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator' together with our international partners, in particular, the World Health Organization (WHO). This ACT Accelerator will enable us to develop and deploy vaccines, tests and treatments to all who need it in the world. And today, we go one step further. The European Commission is ready to join the COVAX Facility. This COVAX Facility is being designed to organise the procurement of vaccines against coronavirus at global level. We will join COVAX together with our EU Member States as team Europe. And the Commission will also make a contribution of 400 million euros in guarantees to the COVAX Facility and its goals. This contribution will help buy and deliver doses of future vaccines for low- and middle-income countries. In parallel, we continue negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to purchase doses vaccines on behalf of the EU Member States. Because one thing is clear; we will not be safe until everyone whether here in Europe or out there in the world is safe. We need global solidarity.

The COVAX Facility, which is also sometimes referred to as the COVAX Pillar, is essentially a platform for pooled investments in the development, manufacture and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. At time of recording, 172 countries have entered into an initial agreement with COVAX. This includes about 80 wealthier countries that would be able to purchase the vaccine on their own and 92 lower income countries which would not be able to self-finance the procurement of a vaccine.

The goal of the COVAX Facility is to provide 2 billion doses of a vaccine to cover 20% of the population of all participating countries by the end of 2021.

COVAX is a co-lead by three entities: The World Health Organization, GAVI–The Global Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Pandemic Preparedness Innovations.

Of these organizations, GAVI–The Vaccine Alliance administers COVAX.

On the line with me today to explain how COVAX works is the Managing Director for Country Programs at GAVI Thabani Maphosa. We kick off discussing how the COVAX Facility was formed before having a broader conversation about how it works and why global cooperation on the development and distribution of a vaccine is a far more effective way to end this pandemic than countries going it alone.

This episode is part two of a series examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to new forms of international cooperation to accelerate the end of the pandemic. Part one, released last week is my interview with the CEO of the Coalition for Pandemic Preparedness Innovations, CEPI, which has made early and ongoing investments in the development and manufacture of the vaccines. These CEPI-supported vaccines will be made equitably available to countries that are participating in the COVAX Facility. This includes some of the more promising vaccines that are already in advanced human trials.