Spain initiates vaccine donations to Latin America and the Caribbean through the COVAX mechanism

Following the agreement reached between the Spanish State, AstraZeneca, COVAX, the first donations will amount to more than 750,000 doses and will be destined for Paraguay, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador and Nicaragua.

The Government of Spain has committed a total of 22.5 million of the vaccines authorised in the European Union and used in Spain, of which at least 7.5 million will go to Latin American countries. The donations will be channelled through COVAX - a mechanism coordinated by the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with logistical support from UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in line with Spain's desire to articulate a multilateral response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The distribution of doses destined for Latin America and the Caribbean is based on the epidemiological needs of the different countries in the region and the coordination of the actions of the different actors involved in COVAX. The distribution will be progressive, as Spain makes the vaccines available to the mechanism. The first target countries are: Paraguay, which will receive 252,000 doses; Guatemala, 201,600; Ecuador and Peru, 101,760 each; and Nicaragua: 97,920. Deliveries will begin in the coming days.

In addition, Spain is currently processing contributions to the COVID-19 Access to Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) amounting to €125 million, to which will be added an additional contribution of €50 million to COVAX through GAVI.

All of the above actions form part of the Universal Access Plan: Sharing Covid-19 vaccines. 'Vacunación Solidaria', approved by the Spanish government last January, which defines the donation strategy. The main objective of this plan is to contribute to ensuring fair, affordable and universal access to vaccines as a global public good to respond to Spanish society's call for solidarity.

The Spanish State coordinates the donation of the vaccines with the EU and its member states, which have so far contributed €2.47 billion to COVAX. The goal of the mechanism is to immunise at least 20 per cent of the population of the 190 member nations by the end of the year.

Non official translation