(Ottawa) Canada is considering sending more money or vaccination supplies to the global vaccine-sharing alliance COVAX, which has appealed for help in securing more money.
Posted at 6:12 p.m.
Canada has not sent new doses to COVAX since December 21, when Ottawa pledged to deliver 50 million vaccines directly, and enough money to buy 150 million more doses from here. the end of this year.
The COVAX agency was created in 2020 by the Gavi vaccine alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. This international initiative aims to equitably share supplies of COVID-19 vaccines as they become available.
Wealthy countries, like Canada, have made commitments to COVAX, while signing private contracts with vaccine manufacturers. These wealthy countries then undermined COVAX’s plans by grabbing all the first supplies on world markets, at the expense of vulnerable people in low-income countries.
Globally, more than 10 billion doses have now been administered, two-thirds of them in high and upper-middle income countries. In these countries, more than seven in 10 people are considered fully immunized, and more than one in three are now receiving their third dose. In the group of 28 low-income countries, nine out of 10 people have not even received the first dose.
“You cannot stop a virus by region, by vaccinating in certain parts of the world while postponing protection in other parts”, recalled on Monday the CEO of Gavi, the American Seth Berkley.
Also finance the vaccination operation
COVAX highlighted in mid-January the delivery of its billionth dose, but the WHO aims to have 70% of the world’s population vaccinated by the end of June, which will require more than 3.6 billion additional doses in the world. course of the next five months.
Mr Berkley told a press conference earlier this month that supplies were increasing and he believed the targets were achievable. But the part of the world that is already vaccinated must remember that the doses do not go to the arms on their own: it takes syringes and money to pay for transport and insurance, he reminded.
Each country has unique challenges to overcome and COVAX tries to develop plans specific to each, which also requires funding. Mr. Berkley even warns that COVAX cannot currently accept donations of vaccine doses directly without funding to cover other costs.
A spokesperson for Canada’s International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said in an email that Ottawa was exploring how it could help.
“Minister Sajjan will communicate with Seth Berkley and his COVAX partners in the coming days to determine what the needs are and how Canada can help support them,” said Yentl Béliard-Joseph. He asked the department to consider what Canada can do to fill this gap. »
Maybe the Novavax
Canada is one of four countries that already cover all incidental costs for the vaccines it donates – such as Belgium, New Zealand and Ireland.
As of December 21, Canada had donated 12.6 million doses of the vaccine from its own supply contracts, including 11.9 million through COVAX. The rest was concluded through bilateral agreements with specific countries.
The doses come from contracts with Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Separately, an additional 52 million doses of Novavax could be available for donation this year as the manufacturer begins to see its vaccine approved, including by the WHO.
Health Canada is still reviewing the application for approval, but domestically, Canada almost exclusively uses vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
Canada also claims that the 545 million donated to COVAX has already purchased 87 million doses, but COVAX has not confirmed this figure. A COVAX spokesperson said it was still negotiating purchase agreements with vaccine suppliers.
Canada’s figure is based on a calculation formula from the UK, developed for last year’s G7 leaders’ summit, which found COVAX would pay an average of US$6 per vaccine dose.