Corona Virus
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has disclosed that a United Nations-led initiative created for the hastiness of the development of COVID-19 vaccines and medications is currently being hindered by a massive funding gap.
WHO spokeswoman in Geneva has said that the project, known as the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, has received 2.5 billion dollars in pledges whereas the United Nations (UN) health agency had given an estimate of 31.3 billion dollars as the needed amount for the funding ACT over an initial period of 12 months.
The initiative, which was launched at a Brussels donor conference in May, has been calling for support for the fair distribution of future vaccines and medications to both developing and developed countries.
ACT involves major philanthropic health funds such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Britain-based Wellcome Trust.
Leader of Wellcome’s Germany office., Caroline Schmutte who said there are major financing gaps, criticised countries that have negotiated individually with pharmaceutical companies to pre-order vaccines that are still in development, including Germany, the U.S., and Switzerland. She said:
“This could create hurdles for a fair and needs-based distribution of vaccines.
WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in reaction to the development on Tuesday in Geneva, suggested that the first shipments of vaccines must be available to at-risk people everywhere, not just in a few countries as he said:
“We need to prevent vaccine nationalism.”