Washington (AFP) 02/09/2022 16:07
WHO calls for funds to be invested in accelerating access to tools to combat COVID-19
- Contribute a fair share of the sums necessary to its plan to eliminate COVID-19
- Development, production and distribution of tools to combat the epidemic
- Ensuring poor countries have access to vaccines
urged World Health Organization Wednesday rich countries to contribute a fair share of the sums necessary to its plan to eradicate covid_19 Urgently paying $16 billion.
And the World Health Organization said that the quick injection of funds into the “Accelerating Availability of Tools to Combat Covid-19” initiative could put an end to the pandemic being considered a global emergency, this year.
The initiative, known as ACT-A, aims to develop, produce and distribute tools to combat the epidemic, such as vaccines, tests, treatments and personal protective equipment.
The initiative paved the way for the Kovacs mechanism, which aims to ensure that poor countries have access to vaccines, and was right in its expectation that rich countries would stockpile the doses when they were finished production.
Kovacs delivered its billionth dose of COVID-19 vaccines in mid-January.
ACT-A initiative…needs $23.4 billion
The ACT-A initiative needs $23.4 billion for its program in the past year, from October 2021 to September 2022, but it has received only $800 billion so far.
Thus, the program requires $16 billion in advance from rich countries to “fill the fiscal gap immediately,” while middle-income countries pay the rest.
WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the rapid spread of Omicron makes the issue of equitable distribution of tests, treatments and vaccines even more urgent.
“If the highest-income countries pay a fair share of the costs of ACT-A, the partnership can support low- and middle-income countries in overcoming low vaccination levels against Covid,” he said in a statement.
Low virus tests and drug shortages.
