COVAX has managed to deliver 23 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 70 countries participating in the alliance so far, said Aurélia Nguyen, Managing Director of the COVAX Facility.

Nguyen made her comments during a virtual event the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held on Monday, amid its and the World Bank’s spring meetings, on the role COVAX is playing in providing affordable vaccines, especially to developing countries, and the challenges it is facing in this regard.

COVAX is co-led by CEPI, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), alongside key delivery partner UNICEF.

Nguyen said that COVAX has inked agreements to deliver 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, 1.3 billion doses of which are for developing countries.

She said that COVAX faces the challenge of a lack financing, as it needs $6 billion to reach its target of vaccines deployment, adding that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host COVAX representatives to support the alliance in raising funds to meet its targets.

“COVAX is an investment that we are making for all,” said Nguyen.

She also said that among the countries that have received COVAX’s vaccine, a number have obtained doses exceeding their needs, and she urged these countries to donate or share their surplus with other countries.