By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
African Health Budget Network (AHBN) Vaccines and Essential Drugs Associate, Pharm Khadija Bobboyi, said Africa got over
90 million doses of vaccines from AVAT and COVAX.
Khadija who stated this during a dialogue meeting, themed: “Understanding COVID-19 Vaccines Procurement & Delivery Mechanisms for Africa”, in Abuja, added that majority of the donations to-date have been ad hoc.
“AVAT and COVAX are focused on accelerating access to and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa. Together they are rapidly expanding supply to the continent and providing countries with the support to be able to utilize the doses they receive.
“Through COVAX, the risks and benefits of developing and producing vaccines are shared across countries.
“COVAX works by pooling financial resources to develop vaccines, purchase them at scale, and investing up front in manufacturing so that vaccines are ready to be distributed as soon as they are licensed.
She said 75 countries have submitted expressions of interest to protect their populations and those of other nations through joining the COVAX Facility, a mechanism designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.
“The 75 countries, which would finance the vaccines from their own public finance budgets, partner with up to 90 lower-income countries that could be supported through voluntary donations to Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Together, this group of up to 165 countries represents more than 60% of the world’s population. Among the group are representatives from every continent and more than half of the world’s G20 economies.”
