Recognizing that COVID-19 is a global challenge that requires a global solution, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator partnership was launched by the World Health Organization and partners in April 2020. It brings together governments, health organizations, scientists, businesses, civil society, and philanthropists to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
The ACT Accelerator has four pillars: Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Vaccines (also known as COVAX), with the Health Systems Connector pillar working across the other three.
A fully funded ACT Accelerator is a critical part of an equitable global response to COVID-19, and each pillar is equally important to its success.
Canada has been a strong supporter of the ACT Accelerator, investing over $1 billion since its creation. However, a significant funding gap remains. Canada must continue investing to ensure a fully-funded ACT Accelerator, across all four pillars, and provide political leadership for other countries to do the same.
- WHO: What is the ACT Accelerator?
- WHO: ACT Accelerator FAQs
- CanWaCH and UNICEF welcome Canada’s new $75M investment in the ACT Accelerator
- Global Citizen: What Global Citizens Should Know About Canada’s Global COVID-19 Response
- The People’s Vaccine: https://peoplesvaccine.org/
- Doctors Without Borders: COVID-19 vaccines
- Results Canada: Vaccines Bring Us Closer Webinar
- Results Canada: ACT Accelerator Brief
- Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN): COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
If you have any resources that you would like to see added to this page, please email us at [email protected].
Diagnostics
A critical part of ending the COVID-19 pandemic is making sure that faster, more accurate, affordable and easier-to-use tests are available around the world. Investing in the accelerated development and production of these tests could help save 9 million lives in low- and middle-income countries.
- The Global Fund: https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/covid-19/act-a/
- FIND: https://www.finddx.org/covid-19/investment/
- WHO: Diagnostics Investment Case
Therapeutics
The Therapeutics pillar is designed to find the most promising treatments for everyone across the world, and ensure that the most marginalised communities can access the benefits of these treatments too. For example, Unitaid and Wellcome joined forces in July 2020 with partners in the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) to expand access to dexamethasone for low- and middle-income countries.
- Unitaid: UNITAID AND THE ACCESS TO COVID-19 TOOLS ACCELERATOR
- WHO: Therapeutics Investment Case
- UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/canada-becomes-first-country-support-covid-19-therapeutics-new-unicef-fund
COVAX
COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the ACT Accelerator. It hosts the world’s largest and most diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines. Wealthier self-financing countries invest in the COVAX initiative with half of their investment buying vaccines for their own country and half for lower-income countries. There are 92 low- and middle-income countries that are eligible to receive vaccines through this initiative.
- CanWaCH: 7 things you should know about COVAX
- UNICEF: COVAX: Ensuring Global Access To COVID-19 Vaccines
Health Systems Connector
The Health Systems connector surveys countries to help identify bottlenecks and capacity gaps that might prevent successful delivery of COVID-19 tests, treatments, vaccines, and other tools like personal protective equipment and oxygen to communities. It supports countries in mapping out the requirements for the delivery of these tools and strengthening their health systems to meet those requirements.
- The Global Fund: COVID-19
- Roadmap to vaccine delivery in rural and remote communities around the world
- The vaccine lifeline in Kenya: community health volunteers
- ONE.org: The Vaccinator Quest
If you have any resources that you would like to see added to this page, please email us at [email protected].
