Current Context: To provide COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to join its Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility by 31st
August 2020, for ensuring less wealthy countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Key Points:
- This movement is led by the WHO, along with the GAVI vaccine Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
- COVAX is part of a program, called the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is designed to pool funds from wealthier countries and non-profits to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and distribute it equitably around the world for ensuring the vaccines, treatments, diagnostic tests and other healthcare resources are broadly available to all over the world.
- This program also aims to deliver 2 billion doses of effective, approved COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.
- The ACT Accelerator is financed by a variety of nonprofits and governments, aiming to raise about $31 billion. This facility has attracted interest from 92 poorer countries expecting for voluntary donations and 80 wealthier countries that would finance the scheme.
- The main purpose behind this step is to prevent “vaccine nationalism” means wealthier countries hoarding vaccines for their citizens, which could hinder efforts to end the pandemic.
- The World Health Organization's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus specified that the distribution of vaccines would be rolled out in two phases.
- Doses would be allocated proportionally to all participating countries simultaneously, to mitigate the overall global risk.
- Also, individual countries’ threat and vulnerability level will then branch out.
- To analyze the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recently the World Health Organization (WHO) has created an Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR).
- Former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Elizabeth Clark and former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will co-chair this panel.
- Static Part:
- Founded: 7th April 1948
- Director-General– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
- Headquarter– Geneva, Switzerland
