Australia to support COVID-19 vaccine access for Pacific and Southeast Asian countries

Australia will support the Gavi COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to improve access for Pacific and Southeast Asian countries to safe, effective, and affordable COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVAX AMC will secure and distribute COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, not just those that can afford to purchase or manufacture vaccines themselves.

Australia’s contribution of $80 million will help secure COVID-19 vaccines for Pacific Island and Southeast Asian countries. The AMC will address the acute phase of the pandemic, providing doses for up to 20 percent of countries’ populations in its first phase, ensuring that health care workers and vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, have access.

Access to vaccines will play a critical role in the economic recovery of the region from this pandemic.

Pacific countries eligible for COVAX AMC support include Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Kiribati. Eligible countries from Southeast Asia are Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, The Philippines, and Vietnam.

Australia’s investment builds on the strong support for Gavi. Australia will continue to promote health security in the region through its role as the Vice-Chair of the Gavi Board.

International investment in vaccine manufacturing and procurement is stronger when nations work together. In making this investment, Australia joins key donors such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and Norway.

The COVAX AMC forms part of the wider COVAX Facility, a global mechanism designed to enable rapid, fair, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to end the acute phase of the pandemic by 2021.

Original source: DFAT