US to contribute $4 billion to WHO's COVAX Scheme, G7 total to $7.5 billion

US President Joe Biden, on February 19, announced a contribution of $4 billion to the COVAX programme. The commitment came as a part of enhanced support by the G7 states to the WHO initiative for equitable distribution of COVID vaccines. The G7 or Group 7, which comprises the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the EU, vowed to support the initiative and committed a sum of 7.5 billion.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has constantly slammed the “rich organisations” for hoarding vaccine shots urging countries to help poorer nations in inoculation. Meanwhile, in a later release, the White House ironed out the US aid stressing that the first tranche of $2 billion will go directly to the Gavi vaccine alliance and the remaining $2 billion will be released over 2021 and 2022. Additionally, it said that the first lot of $500 million will be paid after initial donor pledges are fulfilled and the first doses of coronavirus vaccines have been delivered.

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COVAX scheme

COVAX is one of the three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 tools (ACT) Accelerator which aims at providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatment and vaccine. "This is the challenge we must rise to in the New Year," Tedros said in a message issued a day before the first anniversary of China reporting the first cases of pneumonia of unknown origin.

Previously, the WHO has urged International powers to refrain from ‘vaccine nationalism’  and to contribute to the COVAX initiative which aims to distribute vaccines to underdeveloped and developing nations by early 2021. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking at a virtual press briefing made an appeal to the international communities to contribute $4 billion to buy COVID-19 vaccines for distribution in lower and middle-income countries through the COVAX vaccine facility.

"COVAX is one of the three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 tools (ACT) Accelerator which aims at providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatment and vaccine. "This is the challenge we must rise to in the New Year," Tedros said in a message issued a day before the first anniversary of China reporting the first cases of pneumonia of unknown origin.

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