On Tuesday, the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana began COVID-19 vaccination campaigns which are focused at the protection of its healthcare workers.
Close on the heels of the very first round of vaccinations in the African nations, more than the next seven days yet another 11 million COVAX doses are anticipated to be delivered. These campaigns are amongst the very first to use doses offered by the COVAX Facility’s Gavi COVAX Advanced Market Commitment (AMC).
The start off of Africa’s most significant immunization drive in history by means of the COVAX Facility marks a step forward in the continent’s fight against COVID-19 and is a welcome shift towards bringing African nations off the sidelines and back into the vaccination race.
What is AMC?
It is the COVAX Facility’s mechanism which aids in supplying donor-funded vaccines to decrease-earnings nations.
Last week, each Ghana (600,000 doses) and Côte d’Ivoire (504,000 doses) took deliveries of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine licensed and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
According to reports, final month on February 15, the World Health Organisation, was granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of the vaccine, branded COVISHIELD.
On the campaign, Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana mentioned: “COVID-19 has changed the world and has cost lives, battered health systems, and damaged livelihoods. Ghana welcomes the arrival of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX AMC as a pathway to ending the acute phase of the pandemic.”
“The first doses will be prioritized for health and essential workers, and other at-risk groups. And, this will allow Ghana to get back to business, and build back our economy even stronger than before,” the Ghanian leader has mentioned.
By the finish of 2021, COVAX has plans to provide at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines and this will involve at least 1.3 billion to the 92 economies which are eligible for assistance by means of the COVAX AMC.
Till date, COVAX doses have been delivered by SII to: India, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, though Pfizer-BioNTech has delivered doses to the Republic of Korea. In the coming days more deliveries by these two producers are planned. Almost 11 million doses in total are planned to be delivered more than the next seven days. And, in addition, AstraZeneca is set to commence shipments this week.
The work to accelerate improvement and access to COVID vaccines is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO). These bodies are working in partnership with UNICEF as nicely as the World Bank, producers and civil society organizations, and other individuals.
Interaction with Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, the UNICEF Representative in India
She was at Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune, when the shipment containing 600,000 doses of COVID vaccines left for Ghana. A second shipment of 504,000 doses, sent from Mumbai, India, landed in Ivory Coast, West Africa on Tuesday (March 2, 2021).
She talks not only about the COVAX Facility, but also the initiative to provide equitable access to COVID vaccine and how it will aid the globe finish the pandemic.
Following are excerpts from the conversation…
How did you really feel as the very first batch of vaccines left for its location from the Serum Institute of India (SII) beneath COVAX Facility?
It was a historic moment as the very first batch of 600,000 doses of COVID vaccine left for Ghana from the SII in India. It is for the very first time that so numerous partners have come with each other to make certain that the vaccines that have the possible to save billions of lives attain folks all more than the globe equitably. It is a main step in the worldwide work to beat this pandemic and a landmark achievement towards worldwide equitable access to these life-saving vaccines.
How numerous vaccine doses will be offered beneath this facility and to whom?
The very first batch of 600,000 doses has currently reached Ghana. The COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, with each other with UNICEF, aims to dispatch 80 million doses by March and provide at least 2 billion doses of authorized COVID-19 vaccines by the finish of 2021.
As aspect of the COVAX Facility, UNICEF is major efforts, in collaboration with the PAHO Revolving Fund to procure and provide doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the 92 low and decrease middle-earnings nations on behalf of the COVAX Facility to allow them to guard their frontline healthcare and social workers, as nicely as other higher-threat and vulnerable groups.
Of these, PAHO will be procuring and supplying doses to 10 nations in Latin America which are: Bolivia, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines. The COVAX Facility has place in a program of figuring out the destinations and recipient nations and quantity of doses.
How numerous of these doses will be offered by India?
Of the 2 billion, majority will come from SII, Pune, which has a license agreement with AstraZeneca and Novavax. India’s manufacturing base is playing a important part in closing the gap in between wealthy and poor nations. UNICEF from India will ship the vaccines to 82 low and middle-earnings nations participating in the COVAX Facility.
Why are these vaccines becoming procured only from SII in India?
COVAX Facility offers WHO-certified vaccines. AstraZeneca vaccine got WHO-certification on 15 February 2021.As more vaccines get the certification from WHO, based on their value and affordability other suppliers are becoming added to the pool.
What is the part of UNICEF in COVAX?
UNICEF is a proud and privileged companion of the COVAX Facility. Its part begins with the signing of the agreements for the procurement of the vaccine. We work with nations to see that they have place in location the protocols becoming advocated by the WHO Strategic Advisory group of specialists and also to see that all the systems are in location for protected storage, transportation and administration of the vaccine.
UNICEF guarantees protected, timely and effective transportation of these vaccines from nations exactly where they are made to the nations exactly where they are to be received. It operates with governments and partners to make positive that vaccines attain these who will need them the most.
![India’s manufacturing base is playing a important part in closing the gap in between wealthy and poor nations: Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF Representative 2 1614698406 503 Indias manufacturing base is playing a critical role in closing](https://www.thespuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/1614698406_503_Indias-manufacturing-base-is-playing-a-critical-role-in-closing.jpg)
Besides, UNICEF is also supplying a billion syringes that will be necessary to administer the vaccine safely. UNICEF began stockpiling these syringes in 2020 itself to meet this anticipated demand. These 4.5- inch- lengthy syringes, if we place them finish- to- finish will cover the length of the complete globe thrice. UNICEF is also getting 10 million security boxes by 2021, so that made use of syringes and needles can be disposed of in a protected manner by personnel at overall health facilities, as a result stopping the threat of injuries and blood borne ailments. Every security box carries one hundred syringes.
And how do you feel COVAX Facility is going to aid in ending the pandemic?
The equitable access to vaccines will contribute drastically towards containing the pandemic which has disrupted each aspect of life. Due to the pandemic, young children and ladies have not received some of the critical services they necessary. Now that the frontline workers will be vaccinated, these services will resume quick.
With these shipments, we are aspect of the historic journey to provide equitable vaccine access to decrease earnings and decrease middle earnings nations to make certain no one is left behind and that each vulnerable individual about the globe is protected from COVID-19 and its direct and indirect influence.