GAVI vaccine alliance says 75 countries keen to join ‘COVAX’

News: India has expressed its keen interest in joining the COVAX alliance.

Facts:

• COVAX Alliance: It is a facility that aims to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world.
• Bodies Involved: It is co-led by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations(GAVI), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI) and WHO.
• The alliance also forms a key part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools(ACT) Accelerator.

Additional Facts:

• ACT Accelerator: It is a Global Collaboration led by WHO to speed up the development, production of COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines and ensure equal access to treatments for rich and poor.
• GAVI: It is a global Vaccine Alliance created in 2000 by bringing together public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
• CEPI: It is a global partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil society organisations launched in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and enable equitable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks.