Seventy-five countries submitted expressions of interest by July 15, 2020, to join the COVAX Facility, a global mechanism designed to guarantee rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are developed.
The initiative aims to prevent lower-income nations from being pushed to the back of the queue, mirroring supply disparities seen during the H1N1 pandemic a decade prior. Participating self-financing countries will partner with up to 90 lower-income economies supported by voluntary donations through the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment.
“COVAX is the only truly global solution to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “For the vast majority of countries, whether they can afford to pay for their own doses or require assistance, it means receiving a guaranteed share of doses and avoiding being pushed to the back of the queue, as we saw during the H1N1 pandemic a decade ago.”
Co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVAX pillar sits within the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. The facility pools procurement and purchasing power to secure sufficient volumes of safe and effective vaccines. Seven of the nine candidate vaccines supported by CEPI were already in clinical trials by July 2020.
The coalition aims to deliver two billion doses by the end of 2021. Initial distribution plans prioritize healthcare workers before expanding to cover 20 percent of the population in participating countries, regardless of income level.
- Equitable Distribution: The mechanism pools global buying power so wealthy and developing nations alike receive concurrent vaccine shares.
- Risk Mitigation: By investing upfront across a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates, the facility protects against individual drug trials failing to show efficacy.
- Emergency Buffers: The plan maintains a reserve of doses specifically allocated for humanitarian crises and severe outbreaks.
The group of up to 165 participating nations represents more than 60 percent of the world’s population. Self-financing participants include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, alongside 20 Gavi COVAX AMC-eligible countries that voluntarily submitted expressions of interest.
| COVAX Component | Target / Metric | Participating Entities |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Financing Participants | 75 countries | Includes G20 economies and nations across every continent |
| Advance Market Commitment (AMC) | Up to 90 lower-income countries | Supported by voluntary donations, raising close to US$ 600 million by July 2020 |
| Global Population Coverage | More than 60% | Represented by up to 165 total participating nations |
Countries funding doses through their domestic budgets were required to submit expressions of interest to join the COVAX Facility.
“Through COVAX our aspiration is to be able to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of the population of every country that participates, regardless of income level, by the end of 2021,” said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. “Ensuring fair access is not only a matter of equity; it is the fastest way to end this pandemic.”
- World Health Organization. For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int.
