• As part of its pledge to deliver 22.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the first doses donated by Spain are arriving to countries in Latin America

• Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of Spain: “We will only be safe from the virus when everyone on the planet is safe. We have committed to donate over 22 million vaccines to COVAX and are proud to see them being delivered to those who need them the most.”

• Dr Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Government of Spain has been a strong supporter of COVAX having pledged both substantial funding and vaccine doses. We are thankful to Spain for sharing the responsibility of ending the acute stage of the pandemic through the conversion of these pledges into deliveries.” 

Geneva, 5 August 2021 – The first deliveries from a pledge of 22.5 million doses to be donated to COVAX by Spain are arriving today, with 101,760 doses of AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to Peru, 201,600 doses to Guatemala and 253, 440 doses to Paraguay, followed by 97,920 doses to Nicaragua on 6 August. This marks the first deliveries of doses donated by an EU Member State through COVAX to Latin American countries. Spain is donating doses to COVAX on top of the USD 122 million it has pledged to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC).

This donation by Spain allows COVAX to deliver more vaccines in the third quarter of this year, before supply from COVAX purchase agreements increases in Q4, meaning that more people will be able to access vaccines now, at a time when variants are a major threat to global health and stability.

“Sharing doses with COVAX now represents the single most effective intervention a country can make in terms of keeping the pandemic in check,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which leads on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX. “These deliveries to countries enable COVAX to reach some of those in need of protection, and we are grateful to the Spanish government and the Spanish people for their continued support.”

“We still need to improve global equitable access to vaccines which means international collective actions are required to finance and secure the doses needed in order to leave no one behind. We remain committed to protect those suffering the most during the pandemic,” said Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of Spain.

These doses donated by Spain are produced by the AstraZeneca manufacturing network. Donating through COVAX helps to increase vaccine coverage, ensures that no dose goes to waste, and helps to bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic. The design and operationalization of the COVAX dose sharing mechanism is being supported by a contribution of CAD 5 million from Canada.

The donation of doses via COVAX are enabled via tripartite agreements between Gavi, manufacturers, and donating countries. The shipments to countries will be enabled by COVAX delivery partners UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Over 600 million doses have already been pledged to COVAX by a number of countries in response to short-term supply challenges and the rise of new variants. Working with donor governments to operationalise growing numbers of dose-sharing pledges, COVAX expects to see more deliveries of donated doses in the weeks and months to come.

Media Contacts

Meg Sharafudeen
+41 79 711 55 54
msharafudeen@gavi.org

Iryna Mazur
+41 79 429 3671
imazur@gavi.org

Cirũ Kariũki
+41 79 913 94 41
ckariuki@gavi.org