'Inequity 2.0' fear Covax this week called for $5.2 billion over the next three months to steady the ship this year. "We can break the cycle of transmission and the pain and suffering," Gavi chief Seth Berkley told the funding drive launch.
However, "what we do not have today are the resources to help countries adapt to the new challenges that we know Covid-19 will create in 2022".
Covax therefore wants to build a pool of 600 million doses to ensure a reliable supply, and to cover eventual variables such as boosters or new variant-specific vaccines.
It also needs to support readiness and delivery in poorer nations, and cover the costs of syringes and transportation. "I think we'll still have rocky supply for the next six months or so and I'm a little worried, frankly, if there are new variant vaccines, that we might have an inequity 2.0," said Berkley.