• The first shipments of almost 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from Team Europe are arriving in a number of African countries. This donation is facilitated by a tripartite agreement between Belgium (acting on behalf of Team Europe and supported by the European Commission), Johnson & Johnson and Gavi.

  • Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission: “Team Europe moves forward the global solidarity effort against COVID-19. This batch of almost 100 million doses from Johnson & Johnson, to be delivered through COVAX, is part of our pledge to share at least 500 million doses of vaccines in the coming months with the most vulnerable countries. The first doses have reached Niger, with more doses arriving in a number of countries this week. We will keep on sharing vaccines. At the same time, we support the build-up of global vaccine manufacturing capacities, especially in Africa.”

  • Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson: “We welcome the leadership shown by the EC and EU Member States in transferring these doses to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination in low and lower-middle  income countries and to help address the global vaccine equity challenge. We will continue to support governments that have doses of our vaccine to share, particularly through the COVAX Facility as we believe that it is an essential mechanism to help combat the pandemic globally.”

  • Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: “As part of the Team Europe commitment to COVAX, and thanks to the Belgian government’s support, we are delighted to see the first of almost 100 million donated Johnson & Johnson doses heading to Africa. We have worked hand in hand from the beginning with President von der Leyen, her team, as well as the European Investment Bank and EU Member States to make COVAX a success. This new donation builds on that strong European commitment to equitable access.”

Geneva, 22 November 2021 – As part of its pledge to share at least 500 million doses of vaccines with low and lower-middle income countries by mid-2022, Team Europe – the European Union Member States, along with Norway and Iceland – is donating 99.6 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for 2021 facilitated by an agreement negotiated by Belgium with European Commission support, with the first doses going to Niger (496,800), Guinea Conakry (496,800), Mauritania (144,000), Central African Republic (302,400), Djibouti (50,400), Nigeria (2,764,800), Togo (633,600) and the Republic of the Congo (230,400). This donation allows COVAX to accelerate its deliveries in 2021 and early 2022.

Team Europe is one of the strongest and most committed supporters of equitable access to vaccines. The EU Member States committed to share over 300 million doses with low and lower-middle income countries by end 2021, and the European Commission will donate an additional 200 million doses by mid-2022, of which the majority is destined for COVAX. The European Commission has also announced EUR 400 million in grants for the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC) and EUR 600 million in guarantees through the European Investment Bank. EU Member States have additionally pledged over EUR 2 billion to the Gavi COVAX AMC, bringing total Team Europe financing of COVAX to over EUR 3 billion.

The 99.6m doses were donated by:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden

“Team Europe moves forward the global solidarity effort against COVID-19,” said Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “This batch of almost 100 million doses from Johnson & Johnson, to be delivered through COVAX, is part of our pledge to share at least 500 million doses of vaccines in the coming months with the most vulnerable countries. The first doses have reached Niger, with more doses arriving in a number of countries this week. We will keep on sharing vaccines. At the same time, we support the build-up of global vaccine manufacturing capacities, especially in Africa.”

“As part of the Team Europe commitment to COVAX, and thanks to the Belgian government’s support, we are delighted to see the first of almost 100 million donated Johnson & Johnson doses heading to Africa,” added Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “We have worked hand in hand from the beginning with President von der Leyen, her team, as well as the European Investment Bank and EU Member States to make COVAX a success. This new donation builds on that strong European commitment to equitable access.”

“We welcome the leadership shown by the EC and EU Member States in transferring these doses to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination in low and lower-middle income countries and to help address the global vaccine equity challenge”, said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson. “We will continue to support governments that have doses of our vaccine to share, particularly through the COVAX Facility as we believe that it is an essential mechanism to help combat the pandemic globally.”

These doses donated by EU Member States are produced by the Johnson & Johnson manufacturing network, and the donations are facilitated by a tripartite agreement signed by the Belgian government on behalf of Team Europe, supported by France, Norway, Sweden and the European Commission.

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. COVAX shipments to countries are enabled by delivery partners UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Over 1.3 billion 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.

Notes to editors

About COVAX

COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator , is co-led by CEPI, Gavi and WHO – working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, PAHO, the World Bank, and others. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both high-income and lower-income countries.

Gavi’s role in COVAX

Gavi leads on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX: designing and managing the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its traditional Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. As part of this role, Gavi hosts the Office of the COVAX Facility to coordinate the operation and governance of the mechanism as a whole, holds financial and legal relationships with 193 Facility participants, and manages the COVAX Facility deals portfolio: negotiating advance purchase agreements with manufacturers of promising vaccine candidates to secure doses on behalf of all COVAX Facility participants. Gavi also coordinates design, operationalisation and fundraising for the Gavi COVAX AMC, the mechanism that provides access to donor-funded doses of vaccine to 92 lower-income economies. As part of this work, Gavi provides funding and oversight for UNICEF procurement and delivery of vaccines to all AMC participants – operationalising the advance purchase agreements between Gavi and manufacturers – as well as support for partners’ and governments work on readiness and delivery. This includes tailored support to governments, UNICEF, WHO and other partners for cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles, and other aspects of the vastly complex logistical operation for delivery. Gavi also co-designed, raises funds for and supports the operationalisation of the AMC’s no-fault compensation mechanism as well as the COVAX Humanitarian Buffer.

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 888 million children – and prevented more than 15 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gavi is a co-convener of COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In its role Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Evan O’Connell
+41 79 682 18 95
eoconnell@gavi.org

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

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

Laura Shevlin
+ 41 79 529 92 87
lshevlin@gavi.org

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

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