Sudan joins the COVAX Facility to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines

What is COVAX?

COVAX is a global collaboration to accelerate development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. It aims to procure and deliver doses of a safe, effective and approved vaccine for fair distribution around the world, including Sudan.

COVAX is co-led by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The initiative works with governments, including Sudan government and manufacturers to ensure safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are rapidly available and affordable to the highest risk populations world-wide, regardless of income level.

What is the COVAX Facility?

COVAX Global Vaccine Facility (COVAX Facility) is a specially created financial instrument that sits within the COVAX. It is a mechanism that is open to every country, through which they can equitably access COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as possible

The COVAX Facility aims to provide at least 2 billion doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021, enabling participating economies to protect frontline health care and social workers, as well as other high-risk and vulnerable groups, with the goal of reducing mortality and morbidity and subsequently  protecting the health system.

What does UNICEF do within COVAX Facility?

UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and distribute/supply and roll out COVID-19 vaccines, across COVAX participants. This is the world’s largest and fastest ever procurement and supply of vaccines, as part of the global vaccine plan of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility) led by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Is the COVAX facility open to Sudan?

COVAX facility is open to Sudan as one of the GAVI COVAX AMC. Sudan has officially been endorsed as a participant in the COVAX facility.  In July 2020, the Gavi Board approved Gavi as the legal entity to administer the COVID-19 vaccine through the “COVAX Facility” which is a global mechanism to pool resources and demand for COVID-19 vaccines with the goal of accelerating the avail­ability of and equitable access to safe and efficacious vaccines.

How is this happening in Sudan?

UNICEF is working with the government and partners to introduce and deploy the vaccines.  This includes provision of technical support to the government in planning the deployment of the vaccine, strengthening supply chains, training health workers, building trust in vaccines by engaging with communities, and addressing misinformation and other barriers to uptake. UNICEF has started working with the Sudanese Government to assess cold chain and logistics capacities and to close potential supply chain capacity gaps.   

How many vaccines will Sudan receive through COVAX Facility?

Through the COVAX Facility, Sudan requested COVID-19 vaccines to cover 8.5 million people, representing 20 per cent of its population. Sudan is expected to receive over 800,000 doses in March as a part of the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.