• At least 165 vaccine candidates are being developed around the world with 27 of them already in human trials.
• The first beneficiaries will be care workers and the most vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with non-communicable diseases.
Image: COURTESY
Kenya is among 92 countries assured of receiving a Covid-19 vaccine immediately one is approved at the end of this year or in 2021.
Gavi, the Geneva-based alliance which buys most childhood vaccines for Kenya, last week listed the country among the 92 nations that will benefit from its ongoing negotiations with manufacturers.
The alliance and Unicef, said they will ensure at least 20 per cent of each country's population is vaccinated with the first vaccine that is released.
The doses will be procured through Gavi's Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) Advance Market Commitment.
At least 165 vaccine candidates are being developed around the world and, with 27 of them already in human trials, the race is to produce an effective vaccine by end of this year or early next year.
"Once a vaccine has been approved by regulatory agencies and/or prequalified by the WHO, the Covax Facility will then purchase these vaccines with a goal to try and initially provide doses for an average of 20 per cent of each country’s population," Gavi board said in a statement.
The first beneficiaries will be care workers and the most vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with non-communicable diseases.
"Further doses will be made available based on financing, country need, vulnerability and potential threat, and a buffer of doses will also be maintained for emergency and humanitarian use," the board said.
Gavi and Unicef have already published an 'Expression of Interest' to collect information from manufacturers and developers on their plans to deliver Covid-19 vaccines.
"Unicef and Gavi expect to initiate procurement of Covid-19 vaccines in 2020 or whenever one or more vaccine candidates demonstrate efficacy and safety," Unicef said in a separate statement.
Kenya and the other approved countries will foot a part of the cost.
Close to $600 million (about Sh60 billion) has already been raised for the initiative, which requires seed funding of $2 billion (about Sh200 billion) before the end of the year to secure and guarantee the doses.
"A minimum of an additional $3.4 billion (Sh340 billion) is estimated to be required to procure around one billion doses by the end of 2021," Gavi said.
Board chair Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said without support, many developing countries will lag in the race to procure vaccines.
“Without this support, the majority of the world’s population will continue to suffer from this disease even after we’ve developed a tool to tackle it,” she said.
Gavi said countries stand a far better chance of accessing vaccines through its facility as opposed to signing separate deals with vaccine manufacturers.
Those that have already submitted expressions of interest in the Covax Facility will need now to enter into a legally binding agreement to purchase doses through the facility.
This commitment will need to be confirmed this month by making upfront financial contributions, enabling the facility to enter into manufacturer agreements.
“This disease has spread at lightning speed across the globe, which means nobody is safe until everybody is safe. That’s why we now need support and vital funding to ensure that, once a safe, effective vaccine is ready, we can work on protecting the world and not just the lucky few,” Gavi CEO Seth Berkley said.
Edited by R.Wamochie