BY DAYO ADESULU
UNICEF and Sinovac have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of the CoronaVac inactivated virus vaccine against COVID-19 on behalf of the COVAX Facility.
Through the supply agreement, UNICEF will have access to up to 200 million doses of the vaccine in 2021 to supply participating countries and territories in the COVAX Facility’s Advance Market Commitment (AMC), as well as self-financing participants.
The goal of the COVAX Facility is to help address the acute phase of the global pandemic by the end of 2021
This is the 8th supply agreement UNICEF has signed for COVID-19 vaccines. Previous agreements have been announced with the Serum Institute of India, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Human Vaccine, Moderna, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV and Sinopharm.
The Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine received a WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) in June. On 12 July, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced that it had signed an Advance Purchase Agreement with Sinovac on behalf of the COVAX Facility for the purchase of up to 50 million doses to be made available from July through September 2021. The agreement also includes an option to purchase further 150 million doses in Q4 2021 and 180 million more doses in the first half of 2022, if necessary. This totals a potential 380 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine available to COVAX participants.
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Deliveries could start as early as August providing countries are ready to receive them. The COVAX Allocation Framework will determine the dose allocations to COVAX participants taking into consideration access, country readiness, vaccine supply through COVAX to date, operating and supply aspects, and other parameters.
The goal of the COVAX Facility is to help address the acute phase of the global pandemic by the end of 2021 by providing rapid, fair and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for all participating countries and territories regardless of income level.
The COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, together with UNICEF, aims to provide access to quality-assured COVID-19 vaccines, enabling the protection of frontline health care and social workers, as well as other high-risk and vulnerable groups.
