The Global Vaccine Alliance Gavi


People in low and lower- middle-income countries are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic as they often rely on fragile health systems to fight it. Because of the pandemic, routine immunization campaigns have been stopped or massively scaled-down, which in turn will severely impact the health of millions in these countries. Switzerland supports the Geneva-based Vaccine Alliance Gavi to provide equitable access to vaccines, including a future COVID-19 vaccine.

Land/Region Thema Periode Budget
Weltweit
Gesundheit
Infektionskrankheit
Primäre Gesundheitsversorgung
Stärkung der Gesundheitssysteme
01.10.2020 - 31.12.2025
CHF  155’000’000
Hintergrund

The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health, social and economic crisis. Not only have hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives and millions been infected by the virus, the pandemic has also revealed capacity limits of health systems both in high- and low- and middle-income countries as well as limited multilateral collaboration in light of scarce medical resources.

As the world grapples to gain control over the pandemic, effective, safe and affordable vaccines for COVID-19 would be a major milestone to embark on the path of collectively ending it in the middle to long term. While such vaccines do not yet exist, multiple promising vaccine candidates are currently under research, partly with massive public and philanthropic funding. In the short term demand for vaccines will outstrip supply but ensuring that all countries have access to a safe and efficacious vaccine is the best response from a public health perspective. Gavi The Vaccine Alliance has launched a multilateral cooperation initiative (COVAX Facility) open to all countries that will pool demand and resources to stimulate production investments and negotiate an affordable price by providing an upfront purchasing guarantee to manufacturers on a broad portfolio of potential vaccines. In line with Gavi’s mandate part of this initiative aims at ensuring access to the future COVID-19 vaccines specifically for the populations of low and lower-middle income countries. This contribution to Gavi is part of Switzerland’s support to the international response to COVID-19 and financed through additional funds approved by the Federal Council in the Nachtragskredit II. This support is managed by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation and includes effective delivery of both COVID-19 and other vaccines to low and lower middle income economies. Because a viable vaccine does not yet exist, this is part of an approach that also includes support to securing access to diagnostics and therapeutics against COVID-19 for the populations of low and lower-middle income countries.

Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health is assessing whether Switzerland will also join this multilateral initiative as part of the national strategy to procure vaccines for the Swiss population.

Ziele Save lives and protect people’s health in low and lower middle income countries by increasing equitable and sustainable use of vaccines, including for COVID-19.
Zielgruppen

Primary beneficiaries: Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries and their populations who can access life-saving vaccines

Secondary beneficiaries: Vaccines manufacturers who have a business case to provide vaccines to poor countries and people

Ultimate beneficiaries:

Underserved people in low and lower middle-income countries, especially children.

Mittelfristige Wirkungen

1.    Ensure equitable access for people in low-
      and middle-income countries to efficacious and safe COVID-19 vaccines.

2.   Further reduce mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Resultate

Erwartete Resultate:  

Output 1: Secure and finance up to 1bn doses of COVID-19 vaccines for low and lower middle-income economies, plus other IDA-eligible economies by the end of 2021.

Output 2: Immunise a further 300 million children in low and lower middle income countries between 2021 and 2025.


Resultate von früheren Phasen:  

No previous phase as it deals with a contribution for the fight against Covid-19 and other infectious diseases for which vaccines exist. However, since its existence, Gavi’s efforts to provide access to safe and effective vaccination have resulted in prevented 13 million deaths among children. Moreover, it contributed to the reduction in infection rates of severe and deadly diseases among populations in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

Gavi started with vaccinations against six infectious diseases and will extend the range to 18, including new vaccines for polio, rabies, hepatitis B (birth dose) and multivalent meningococcal.


Verantwortliche Direktion/Bundesamt DEZA
Projektpartner Vertragspartner
Andere internationale Organisation
  • Other OI


Koordination mit anderen Projekten und Akteuren

1.    WHO  COVID-19 R&D Blueprint

2.    COVID-19 Diagnostics Partnership

3.    COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator

4.    Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Coalition (CEPI)

Budget Laufende Phase Schweizer Beitrag CHF    155’000’000 Bereits ausgegebenes Schweizer Budget CHF    155’000’000