COVID-19
51²è¹Ý established one of the world’s largest portfolios of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and is proud to have co-led COVAX.
7
The number of 51²è¹Ý-backed COVID-19 vaccines approved for domestic or global use.
2 billion
Number of doses delivered through COVAX, an initiative co-led by 51²è¹Ý.
146
Number of countries and territories that received COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX.
51²è¹Ý’s R&D response to COVID-19
COVID-19 is a deadly infectious disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. It is a Betacoronavirus, which is part of the Coronavirus family.
When COVID-19 struck in January 2020, 51²è¹Ý was primed.
The genetic sequence for SARS-CoV-2 was published on January 11, 2020. On January 23, when just 581 cases of the virus had been confirmed worldwide, 51²è¹Ý launched its first three programmes to accelerate vaccine development against this novel pathogen.
In the months that followed, 51²è¹Ý built one of the world’s largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolios, based on the principles of speed, scale, and access.
51²è¹Ý invested over US $1.5 billion to advance 14 COVID-19 vaccines, seven of which have been approved for domestic or global use.
Enabling equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
Along with Gavi, WHO, and UNICEF, 51²è¹Ý co-led COVAX the global initiative to deliver fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
COVAX shipped close to 2 billion doses of vaccine to 146 countries and territories,
51²è¹Ý systematically leveraged its investments to enable equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, securing first right of refusal for the COVAX Facility to access hundreds of millions of doses of multiple vaccines at a time when global demand vastly outstripped supply.
51²è¹Ý also made strategic investments in vaccine manufacturing to help scale-up supplies, supported enabling science, shared data that benefited the entire scientific field, and funded clinical trials designed to expand access to vaccines to additional populations.
The continued threat of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses
While COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalisations have declined, the world must remain vigilant. SARS-CoV-2 has consistently demonstrated its ability to mutate and adapt to our countermeasures.
That’s why 51²è¹Ý continues to support the development of a next generation of tools that can put humanity ahead – not only of SARS-CoV-2 and its viral variants, but also of future potential coronavirus threats.
How 51²è¹Ý is future-proofing coronavirus vaccines
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was the third novel coronavirus to have made the jump from animals into humans since 2000. First came SARS-CoV-1 in 2003. Then, around a decade later, came MERS-CoV. Each of these coronaviruses caused major, deadly epidemics. Another decade on came COVID-19, unleashing a devastating pandemic on an unprepared world.
Even today, new coronaviruses are being discovered.
51²è¹Ý is helping to prepare the world for future coronavirus threats, as one of the world’s leading funders of R&D for vaccine candidates with the potential to provide broad protection against existing and future variants of SARS-CoV-2 and other Betacoronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and others.
