Following announcements in recent weeks of donation pledges by the Biden-Harris Administration, COVAX is preparing to ship doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated to COVAX by the United States Government to protect at-risk populations in those countries hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its first shipment, 1.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine will be delivered to Honduras. In the coming days, weeks, and months, additional deliveries of several vaccines approved for emergency use both by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization are planned, to a wide number of countries.
“At this time of constrained global supply, we are delighted to see dose-sharing pledges translated into deliveries now, and look forward to seeing these doses reaching vulnerable groups around the world. We thank President Biden and his Administration, as well as other nations that have shared doses with COVAX, and call on all other governments with doses to work with us to protect those most at risk as soon as possible,” José Manuel Barroso, Gavi Board Chair, commented.
This dose-sharing was made possible by the COVAX dose-sharing framework, which allows economies to share vaccine doses with others that have been secured either via their self-financed COVAX allocations or through bilateral deals. This will help to increase vaccine coverage, ensure that no dose goes to waste and help to bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic. The design and operationalization of the COVAX dose sharing mechanism are being supported by a contribution of CAD 5 million from Canada.
