UNICEF, AVAT Scale Up Covid-19 Vaccine Deliveries to African Countries

Addis Ababa: Having secured access to up to 400 million doses of the J&J covid-19 vaccine, the African Union (AU), African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and UNICEF are partnering to ensure the seamless procurement and delivery of vaccines to AU Member States. 
 
This partnership will help ramp up efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic as less than 2 percent of people on the continent are fully vaccinated so far.
 
"We are building a platform for deeper collaboration that will pave the way to a more robust African response to the pandemic and move the continent towards recovery, leveraging the opportunities to strengthen health systems and support the manufacturing sector for job creation," said Dr. Vera Songwe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa in a press release on Monday.

Established by African leaders, AVAT has spearheaded African efforts on fair equitable access and distribution of vaccines, negotiating vaccine acquisition with pharmaceutical companies to at least 60 per cent of the African population with safe and efficacious vaccines to achieve "herd immunity" by 2022.
 
"We are pleased to have UNICEF as a strategic partner in the delivery of these vaccines to our member states, as they are extremely experienced in handling and managing vaccines, and a strong and well-established relationship with all AU member states," said Strive Masiyiwa, African Union Special Envoy. 
 
The AVAT and UNICEF partnership will also work to increase procurement and manufacturing on the continent as part of a broader strategy for sustainable health systems and job creation in Africa.
 
The pandemic has highlighted Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing vulnerabilities. 
 
Prior to the pandemic, the continent was only able to manufacture less than 2 percent of the total medicines needed.
 
"Access to COVID-19 vaccines has been unjust and unfair, with people in Africa bearing the brunt of this inequality. This cannot continue," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. 
 
The distribution of the J&J vaccines to countries through AVAT Advanced Purchase Agreement is expected to commence in August 2021.
 
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