WHO aims to distribute 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines by 2021
—through ACT-Accelerator initiative
—245 million treatment courses to be delivered mid-2021
—seeks to raise US$27billion in funds
DPI, Guyana, Friday, June 26, 2020
In April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially, launched its Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator).
Since the launch, partner organisations have been developing implementable plans to put an end to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Today, the stakeholders published their consolidated investment case via an update to the ACT-Accelerator.
The consolidated investment case calls for US$31.3 billion over the next 12 months. So far, US$3.4 billion has been contributed, leaving a funding gap of US$27.9 billion.
By mid-2021, five hundred million tests are expected to be delivered to low- and middle-income countries and two hundred and forty-five million treatment courses.
Two billion doses of vaccines are expected to be purchased and fifty percent to be distributed to low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021.
WHO is also seeking to raise US$13.7 billion of the outstanding funds to add to the funds gathered thus far, for immediate response to countries affected by the novel coronavirus.
Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the need for effective public health measures is essential to deal with the global pandemic.
“It is clear that to bring COVID-19 under control, and to save lives, we need effective vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics – in unprecedented quantities and at unprecedented speed,” he noted during a media briefing today.
The ACT-Accelerator is a collaborative effort among governments, healthcare workers, private sector partners and philanthropists including, President of France, the President of the European Commission, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation among others.
“The principle of equitable access is a simple thing to say, but a complicated thing to implement – it requires active collaboration between governments, industry, health organisations, civil society organizations, and communities,” the Director-General said.
ACT-Accelerator was specially designed to scale up the development and equitable access to tools necessary to fight the novel coronavirus through four pillars of work: diagnostics, treatment, vaccines and health system strengthening.