The Australian Government has joined the COVAX Facility as part of a global effort to support fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. This participation and investment means that Australia is able to purchase vaccine doses as they become available from a diverse portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines.
The Australian government has invested $123.2 billion to allow the purchase of 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the Australian population. Australia has committed a further $80 million to support vaccines for 94 lower-income countries. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading (DFAT) also announced a $500 million commitment over 3-years to support COVID19 vaccination in Pacific Islander Countries (SICs) and South-east Asia via the Regional Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative.
Background
COVAX is coordinated by Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization. It brings together governments of over 180 countries, global health organisations, private sector, scientists and manufacturers, in order to provide innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.
COVAX pools funding to support research, development and manufacturing of a wide range of COVID-19 vaccine candidates. All participating countries, regardless of income levels, will have equitable access to these vaccines once they are developed.
COVAX has the world’s largest and most diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines. The initial aim is to have 2 billion doses available by the end of 2021, which should be enough to protect high risk and vulnerable people, as well as frontline healthcare workers.
The COVAX portfolio includes:
| Vaccine name | Vaccine platform | Current stage of clinical trials |
|---|---|---|
| University of Oxford/AstraZeneca | Viral vector | Phase 3 |
| Novavax, USA | Protein (nanoparticle) | Phase 3 |
| Moderna, USA | mRNA | Phase 3 |
| CureVac, Germany | mRNA | Phase 2B/3 |
| Inovio, USA | DNA | Phase 2 |
| Institut Pasteur/Merck/Themis, France/USA/Austria | Viral vector | Phase 1 |
| Clover Biopharmaceuticals | Protein | Phase 1 |
| SK bioscience, South Korea | Protein (nanoparticle) | Preclinical |
| University of Hong Kong | Viral vector | Preclinical |
Additional agreements have been made with:
- Johnson & Johnson/Janssen for 500 million doses of their vaccine candidate, via a memorandum of understanding
- Sanofi/GSK for 200 million doses of their vaccine candidate, via a statement of intent between Gavi, Sanofi and GSK
Resources
- GAVI: COVAX explained
- Australian Government Department of Health: Australia’s vaccine agreements
- WHO: COVAX Announces additional deals to access promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates; plans global rollout starting Q1 2021
Authors: Daniela Say (MVEC Immunisation Fellow) and Nigel Crawford (Director SAEFVIC, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute)
Date: January 2021
Materials in this section are updated as new information and vaccines become available. The Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre (MVEC) staff regularly reviews materials for accuracy.
You should not consider the information in this site to be specific, professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family’s personal health. For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult a healthcare professional.
