Giving Compass' Take:

• African countries recently joined a global initiative called the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), ensuring equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for Africa.  

• How can more countries pursue and encourage equitable access once there is a vaccine? 

• Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine assessability. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Thursday that African countries have started signing up to a ground-breaking, global initiative to ensure that a COVID-19 vaccine, once developed, will reach everyone, everywhere.

The initiative — called the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) — aims to secure at least 220 million doses of the vaccine for Africa, once the vaccine is licensed and approved.

COVAX was launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in April with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO. COVAX aims to purchase 2 billion doses of the future COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021.

These vaccines will be distributed globally by the facility, and in a way that ensures all people have equitable access, as well as ensuring that, even if countries are not able to pay, they will still have access to the vaccine.

Richard Mihigo, head of the World Health Organsation’s Immunisation and Vaccine Development in Africa, encouraged “communities to prepare the way for one of the largest vaccination campaigns Africa has ever experienced.”

At the moment, Africa has 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 30,000 deaths. The spread of pandemic is unfolding alongside long-standing challenges with access to quality health care.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 is also set to impact the continent’s short and long-term development goals, according to the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020.

These vaccines will be distributed globally by the facility, and in a way that ensures all people have equitable access, as well as ensuring that, even if countries are not able to pay, they will still have access to the vaccine.

Richard Mihigo, head of the World Health Organsation’s Immunisation and Vaccine Development in Africa, encouraged “communities to prepare the way for one of the largest vaccination campaigns Africa has ever experienced.”

At the moment, Africa has 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 30,000 deaths. The spread of pandemic is unfolding alongside long-standing challenges with access to quality health care.

Read the full article about global initiative for vaccine development by Lerato Mogoatlhe at Global Citizen.