Thread by @WHO

LIVE: @DrTedros' address at the #PortsToArms conference on #VaccinEquity twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@DrTedros "This week marks 1 year since #COVAX made its 1st delivery in Africa, to 🇬🇭. Unfortunately, 💉 nationalism & manufacturers prioritizing high-income countries in the 1st half of last year severely limited the number of 💉 COVAX was able to supply in the 1st half of 2021"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "As a result, 83% of the population of Africa is yet to receive a single dose. This is not only a moral failure, it is also an epidemiological failure, which is creating the ideal conditions for new variants to emerge"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1496403927088181252?s=20&t=QN4wnZNaXAlhtye1aFzAoA

@DrTedros "Through #COVAX, we are now overcoming many of the supply and delivery constraints we faced last year, with almost 1.2 billion doses of vaccine delivered, and the supply outlook for this year is positive"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1496404561636073472?s=20&t=QN4wnZNaXAlhtye1aFzAoA

@DrTedros "Through purchased and donated doses, #COVAX has secured enough vaccines to achieve 45% coverage across recipient countries by the middle of this year"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1496404970878472193?s=20&t=QN4wnZNaXAlhtye1aFzAoA

@DrTedros "Other sources, including through our partner AVAT, provide the means for countries to reach the global target of 70% by mid-2022"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1496405095562555392?s=20&t=QN4wnZNaXAlhtye1aFzAoA

@DrTedros "We must now turn our attention to addressing the crucial question of how we turn vaccines into vaccinations – or how we get vaccines from #PortsToArms"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "Protecting the highest priority groups, incl. all #healthworkers, older adults & those with underlying medical conditions, must remain our urgent & immediate focus, to prevent severe disease, save lives, & safeguard essential health services"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros "WHO & @ACTAccelerator partners are working night & day to address the bottlenecks that remain. We're on the ground to do whatever it takes to reach country goals not only on vaccines but for testing & treatment"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "We have also taken steps to facilitate voluntary sharing of technology, intellectual property, know-how and data, including the #COVID19 Technology Access Pool, and the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub in 🇿🇦, which has already developed its own mRNA vaccine candidate"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "Just last week we announced the first six African countries that will receive technology from the hub to produce their own vaccines, including Nigeria"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1494589193359478784?s=20&t=c_fLqNPV5MQKziNLyk_MQA

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "WHO has now identified 20 countries that have expressed interest in mRNA vaccine development training by the South African hub"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "Today, we'll announce the establishment of a 🌍 biomanufacturing training hub that will provide countries working with the mRNA 💉 technology hub with the broader workforce training to turn novel technologies into large scale manufactured doses of 💉 & other products"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "Of course, this whole process would be accelerated if manufacturers were willing to share their intellectual property and know-how with the hub"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "We strongly support the proposal from 🇿🇦 & 🇮🇳 for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights under the TRIPS agreement for the duration of the #COVID19 pandemic. The flexibilities in the TRIPS agreement are there to be used in emergencies. If not now, when?"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "We need to pull out all the stops to achieve the 70% vaccine coverage target by the middle of this year, as well as the minimum targets for testing, treatments and personal protective equipment coverage"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #vaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "Achieving the 70% target in all countries is essential for ending the #COVID19 pandemic as a global health emergency and driving a truly inclusive global recovery"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "It will also help prevent the emergence of new variants, which could be more severe or transmissible next time around"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1496408884046667784?s=20&t=QN4wnZNaXAlhtye1aFzAoA

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "High level political leadership and accountability in elevating #COVID19 vaccination as a national and sub-national priority is an essential condition for success"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator "To support these actions, WHO, @UNICEF and @gavi have initiated the #COVID19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, to assist government-led vaccine strategies through political engagement, delivery funding, technical assistance and surge support"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @UNICEF @gavi "This partnership will bring the tools, training, and expertise to strengthen cold chains and logistics, deploy vaccinators, mobilize funding, strengthen data systems, engage communiities, and plan and coordinate operations"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity

@DrTedros @ACTAccelerator @UNICEF @gavi "Thank you all for your commitment. Actions speak louder than words – so let’s get to work, to get vaccines from ports to arms, and end #COVID19 as a global health emergency"-@DrTedros #PortsToArms #VaccinEquity