UNICEF Signs COVID vaccine agreement With Astrazeneca

Children’s charity UNICEF and pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca on behalf of the COVAX Facility.  

Through the supply agreement, UNICEF, along with procurement partners including the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), will have access to up to 170 million doses of vaccines for around 85 countries. This is the third such agreement for COVID-19 vaccines, following previously announced agreements with Pfizer and the Serum Institute of India.

The COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, together with UNICEF, aims to provide at least two billion doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021, enabling the protection of frontline health care and social workers, as well as other high-risk and vulnerable groups.   The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine received WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on February 15.

Deliveries of the vaccine are planned to begin in the first quarter of 2021, in line with the COVAX Allocation Framework that take into consideration several factors including country readiness, national regulatory authorizations and completed contractual provisions, as well as operating and supply considerations.

On February 11, UNICEF announced the signing of an agreement with Pfizer for the supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine through 2021, following on from an agreement with the Serum Institute of India to access two vaccines through technology transfer from AstraZeneca which has been granted WHO EUL  and Novavax, which is subject to the approval of the vaccine by WHO.

Click here for more information on the agreement.