Devex: World leaders pledge $1B for ACT-Accelerator
“A handful of global leaders pledged roughly $1 billion on Wednesday at a high-level event for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, with the bulk of it going to vaccines. Several pharmaceutical companies also made commitments ensuring broad distribution of COVID-19 tools. However, around half of the funding had already been announced prior to the event, and still leaves the accelerator with a massive funding shortfall. The ACT-Accelerator, launched in April, is meant to help speed up the development of COVID-19 tools, and ensure their equitable distribution, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. The accelerator is composed of four pillars — diagnostics, treatments, vaccines, and health systems connectors — and requires $38 billion in funding to deliver on its goals…” (Ravelo, 10/1).

Al Jazeera: COVID-19: U.N. calls for more support for ‘people’s vaccine’ plan
“António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has again called for a ‘quantum leap in support’ for a global vaccine plan to contain the coronavirus pandemic, as the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Sweden promised nearly $1bn in funds to support developing nations’ secure access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. … The initiative aims to deliver two billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021, 245 million treatments, and 500 million tests…” (10/1).

Devex: Q&A: Why Jerome Kim is ‘hopeful’ but cautious about distributing a COVID-19 vaccine
“The future prospects of an effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine — or, more likely, multiple vaccines — hung over the United Nations General Assembly’s opening 75th session last week. Experts like Jerome Kim, director general of the South Korea-based International Vaccine Institute, say that approving a vaccine is only the first of many complicated steps to ensuring that everyone across the world has access to one or more doses — and that they will actually take the vaccine, amid disinformation campaigns…” (Lieberman, 9/30).

DW: COVID-19: Global alliance comes to Africa’s rescue in vaccine rush
“In the race for a coronavirus vaccine, many African countries feel disadvantaged. An international vaccine coalition has pledged millions of doses for developing nations. But experts warn that Africa must do more…” (Schwikowski, 9/30).

U.N. News: Guterres urges more countries to step up and fund global COVID-19 vaccine effort
“…The Secretary-General called on developed countries — which have devoted many trillions of dollars to respond to the socio-economic impacts of the crisis in their own countries — to ‘invest a small fraction of that, to stop the spread of the disease everywhere’ …” (9/30).

U.S. News & World Report: Gates Foundation, Pharmaceutical Companies Join to Advance Coronavirus Vaccines
“The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has joined forces with 16 pharmaceutical companies to advance manufacturing and equitably distribute coronavirus vaccines. … Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, announced on Wednesday that 16 CEOs signed a communique stating their ‘commitments to help ensure equitable & effective global allocation of #COVID19 interventions’ …” (Lardieri, 9/30).

Xinhua: Singapore’s deputy PM calls for strengthening global cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines
“Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat called for strengthening international cooperation on vaccines, when he delivered a pre-recorded video message at the high-level United Nations General Assembly event on COVID-19 response on Wednesday evening…” (9/30).