Why COVAX?

COVAX is the only entity focused exclusively on gathering and equitably distributing vaccines.  COVAX is critical to getting the vaccines needed to reduce the potentially catastrophic impacts of the Delta variant in lower-income countries. 

COVAX has brought attention to the need for vaccine equity and created a funding mechanism, COVAX-AMC, for donors to support the purchase of vaccines for low- and lower-middle-income countries. Get1Give1 Worldwide, as a people-to-people movement, has chosen to support COVAX-AMC so that ordinary citizens who wish to give back can signal their support for a generous, inclusive global vaccination effort.

How does your donation reach COVAX?

COVAX is not a registered charity and so donations must go through a COVAX-approved intermediary. Get1Give1 Worldwide worked with COVAX to choose the correct accounts to which to transfer monies raised. 

Donations in any currency go to the COVAX-AMC account at CAF America with GoFundMe as the fundraising platform. We chose GoFundMe as it handles donations in most major currencies. Although donors commit to donate a sum in dollars, their donations are automatically converted into the currency of the payment card they use. 

Donations in UK pounds go to the COVAX-AMC account at the UK Charities Trust, using its fundraising platform Sponsor Me. 

Can your donation make a difference?

Your support to COVAX will allow it to expand its reach to more vulnerable populations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This campaign moves beyond vaccine nationalism, vaccine diplomacy, and geo-political concerns. A mass of small donations from ordinary people signals that we are all in this together, and recognise our common humanity – and sends strong messages to governments that the people want them to act accordingly.

Supply versus funding?

To vaccinate 70 percent of the 7.8 billion people in the world will require about 11 billion vaccine doses – assuming many two-dose vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies have pledged to produce 12 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021.  If the vaccines produced were all distributed according to need, we would be on the way to herd immunity, but they have not been. 

COVAX hopes to distribute 2 billion COVID vaccine doses to 92 lower income countries over the next year; but to move toward universal access for people in lower-income countries will require $33 to $50 billion over the next 18 months.

Why twenty percent?

Health workers and vulnerable (elderly) groups represent about twenty percent of the population in most countries. The World Health Organization views twenty percent as the first stage of pushing on toward herd immunity worldwide as vaccines become available. COVAX will need to purchase and distribute many more vaccines to reach herd immunity in lower-income countries.

Is COVAX delivering?

COVAX had a slow start for several reasons. Wealthy countries purchased the vast majority of early doses for themselves and slow-walked the monetary pledges they made to COVAX-AMC. When India’s COVID cases surged, the Government of India prevented the Serum Institute from exporting a massive order of doses purchased by COVAX. 

Despite these hurdles, as of October 2021, COVAX has delivered 265 million vaccine doses to 86 low- and middle-income countries.  As more vaccines are produced and wealthy countries fulfill their pledged donations and share more resources and doses, the relationships COVAX has built and the experience it now has should allow it to distribute new vaccine supplies to lower-income countries more efficiently.  

Can health systems deliver to people?

This is a concern in some countries, particularly where COVID-19 has infected healthcare workers. This is the reason it is important to target health workers first during vaccination roll out. COVAX delivers vaccines to governments but is partnering with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and multilateral development banks to match best practices in national vaccination campaigns with the health infrastructure in a country.  Most countries have regularly conducted mass childhood vaccination campaigns and will build on this experience. Gavi The Vaccine Alliance, which hosts COVAX, has provided vaccines to the same countries for the last two decades. Recent new financing mechanisms should help provide the resources needed to fully support in-country vaccination campaigns.  

Each country develops a plan that commits to vaccinating health workers and the most vulnerable first.  A built-in monitoring function ensures that countries use funds appropriately.

Why give globally?

The roll-out in many countries has been uneven and messy. Governments of wealthy countries have committed to fully vaccinate their populations by the end of this year. That said, the social and economic impacts of the COVID pandemic has fallen on some groups worse than others.  Many of us are volunteering and contributing to local efforts to mitigate COVID’s impact and you may be doing the same.  We hope that you will give locally and globally if you are able. No amount is too small; each contribution signals solidarity.

What about overheads?

COVAX will spend all the money you contribute to provide vaccines for 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries. They will not spend any of your money on overheads. COVAX pays for all administrative costs from its general operating budget and has regular independent audits.