Heads of state and worldwide global health leaders made a commitment to cooperate to quicken the development and creation of new immunizations, tests and medicines for COVID-19 and guarantee impartial access around the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 2.4 million individuals and more than 160,000 killed. It is negatively affecting families, society, health systems and economies around the globe, and for whatever length of time that this virus undermines any nation, the whole world is in danger.
There is an urgent need, therefore, while following existing measures to make people physically distanced and to check and track all contacts of individuals who test positive, for innovative COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and coverings.
“We will only halt COVID-19 through solidarity,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Countries, health partners, manufacturers, and the private sector must act together and ensure that the fruits of science and research can benefit everybody.”
Work has already started. Since January, WHO has been working with researchers from many institutions to develop and test vaccines, standardize assays and standardize regulatory approaches on innovative trial designs and define barometers to prioritize vaccine candidates. The Organization has prequalified diagnostics that have gotten used everywhere the earth, and more are within the pipeline. And it’s coordinating a world trial to assess the safety and efficacy of 4 therapeutics against COVID-19.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization and other world leaders about the coronavirus outbreak during a video conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France
The challenge is to boost up and harmonize processes to create sure that when products are deemed safe and effective, they’ll be delivered to the billions of individuals within the globe who need them. Past experience, during the time of HIV treatment, as an example, and during the deployment of vaccines against the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, shows that even when tools are available, they have not been equally available to any or all. So today, leaders came together at a virtual event, co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the President of France, the President of the European Commission, and also the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The event was joined by the UN Secretary General, the AU Commission Chairperson, the G20 President, heads of state of France, South, Germany, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Italy, Rwanda, Norway, Spain, Malaysia and also the united kingdom (represented by the First Secretary of State).
Health leaders from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI-the Vaccine Alliance, the worldwide Fund, UNITAID, the Wellcome Trust, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC), the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA), the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network (DCVMN), and so the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) committed to return back together, guided by a typical vision of a planet shielded from human suffering and so the devastating social and economic consequences of COVID-19, to launch this groundbreaking collaboration. they’re joined by two Special Envoys: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Gavi Board Chair and Sir Andrew Witty, former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.
They pledged to work towards equitable global access supported an unprecedented level of partnership. They agreed to create a strong unified voice, to make on past experience and to be accountable to the world, to communities and to a minimum of each other.
“Our shared commitment is to ensure all people have access to all the tools to prevent, detect, treat and defeat COVID-19,” said Dr Tedros. “No country and no organization can do this alone. The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator brings together the combined power of several organizations to work with speed and scale.”
Health leaders called on the global community and political leaders to support this landmark collaboration and for donors to supply the mandatory resources to accelerate achievement of its objectives, capitalizing on the chance provided by a forthcoming pledging initiative that starts on 4 May 2020. This initiative, spearheaded by the ecu Union, aims to mobilize the many resources needed to accelerate the work towards protecting the globe from COVID-19.
