LONDON - The British Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has today issued the statement below on the UK joining the global COVAX initiative:

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:

“The global effort to find a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is not a competition, but is among the most urgent shared endeavours of our lifetime – it benefits us all to be better equipped to fight this virus.

“That's why I am delighted to confirm that the United Kingdom will join the global COVAX initiative to expedite the discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of a vaccine to one billion people.

“Today’s landmark agreement complements the various vaccine deals the UK has already made and ensures we have the best chance of accessing a safe and effective vaccine for people in the UK as soon as one becomes available, as well as supporting access in poorer countries.”

COVAX is an international initiative to support discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines for one billion people by the end of 2021. It has sought firm commitments from countries to join by 18 September.

The UK is working closely with international partners to set up COVAX as quickly as possible to ensure it is effective in expediting vaccine development and manufacturing, and achieving equitable access. This will support access to any coronavirus vaccine in the UK for millions of people. On 4 June, at the Global Vaccines Summit the UK announced £48 million (60 million) to finance COVAX vaccines for lower income countries. COVAX is looking to invest $6 billion to secure access to a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates.

The UK co-hosted event will take place virtually on Wednesday 30 September. It will be entitled: Accelerating the end of the COVID-19 pandemic: taking new solutions to scale and making them equitably accessible, to save lives, protect health systems and restart the global economy.