COVAX

Subject: Science and tech

Context: China announced that it is joining the coronavirus vaccine alliance known as COVAX.

Concept:

• COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.
• The COVAX facility, launched in April 2020, is stitching together agreements with developers and manufacturers of vaccine candidates it thinks are most likely to succeed.
• The facility is trying to raise funds to support the rapid development of promising candidates, and the quick expansion of manufacturing capacities, so that the vaccines once approved, could be produced on mass scale.
• The facility aims to procure at least two billion doses of a novel Coronavirus vaccine by the end of next year, for deployment and distribution mainly in the low and middle income countries.
• The countries who join the initiative are also assured supply of vaccines whenever they become successful. The countries will get assured supplies to protect at least 20 per cent of their populations.