London– Coordinators of a global corona-virus vaccines funding scheme are looking at a wide range of potential prices for COVID-19 shots. With a reported $40 per dose price tag the “highest number” in that range, one of the co-leads of the project said on Monday.
Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccine alliance, which is co-leading the COVAX facility ensure fair global availability of COVID-19 shots, said the facility had no specific target price.
Berkley also rejected comments from European Union sources. EU last week said the COVAX facility was targeting a $40 price for COVID vaccines forrich countries. The EU sources had said the EU would be seeking to secure cheaper deals outside of the COVAX scheme.
“There was a large range of numbers, and they (the EU sources) put the highest number out,” Berkley sai. He said that in a presentation to EU officials, COVAX officials had given “a range of different prices.”
“And that ($40) was the maximum price in the range for high income countries, rather than a set price,” he told Reuters.
COVAX is co-led by GAVI, the World Health Organization and the CEPI Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and is designed to guarantee fast and equitable access globally to COVID-19 vaccines once they are developed, they will also seek to negotiate the price for both richer and poorer countries.
Its aim is to secure supplies of and deliver 2 billion doses across countries who sign up by the end of 2021. GAVI said earlier this month that more than 75 countries have expressed interest in joining COVAX.
