Right now, the fast global spread of coronavirus means no one is safe from this pandemic until we are all safe. In countries across the world, people have made enormous personal sacrifices to slow the spread of this virus.
But only one thing will stop this pandemic in its tracks: a vaccine.
We are all contributing to the war on this disease in different ways. The United Kingdom has stepped up to become the biggest donor to the international fund to develop a coronavirus vaccine, which will save lives and livelihoods around the world.
Our scientists at the University of Oxford have begun human trials and are partnering with another British success story, AstraZeneca – one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies – to make sure we are ready to manufacture a workable vaccine at scale.
The global sense of community among nations, is remarkable as we work together toward this common goal to find a cure. The only way we will succeed is by bringing together our resources, science, and expertise to prevent a second wave of infection.
As such, the UK was very proud to co-host on May 4, the Coronavirus Global Response International Pledging Conference with Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Norway, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the European Commission.
The aim of the event was to raise $8 billion from governments and global organizations for the research and development of vaccines, treatments, and tests to help end the coronavirus pandemic and prevent future waves of infection.
The UK has pledged significant support to achieve this aim, including the world’s largest donation to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) fund to develop a coronavirus vaccine. The more countries, businesses, and global organizations pull together to pool their expertise, the faster our scientists will succeed in finding a vaccine, accessible and affordable for all.
The international momentum to find a vaccine is growing.
Now our nations must work together to build on this by making sure when we do find a vaccine, it will reach the people who need it.
On June 4, the UK will play virtual host to the Global Vaccine Summit focused on raising funds to help Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
To kick off the international investment push, last week I announced new UK funding for Gavi to vaccinate up to 75 million children in the world’s poorest countries. We have pledged funding equivalent to 330 million pounds a year for the next five years. Gavi’s work is integral to stopping diseases spreading globally and protecting countries from future pandemics.
Gavi has a superb track record delivering life-saving vaccinations, and pledges to the Alliance will help support their work in 68 different countries. Once a coronavirus vaccine is developed, Gavi will also play an integral role to ensure global distribution.
I know that our governments can work together to get this right. Because the only way for us to defeat this global disease is through global cooperation. The UK did not only give its support to the pledging conference, but called on our international partners to do the same. We need everyone to pull together and work together.
Ministerial colleagues, whether in the UK or in other countries stood together at the pledging initiative. We urged other countries to step up and make their contributions to overcome this crisis for our common good.
As our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said at the conference: “The race to discover the vaccine to defeat this virus is not a competition between countries, but the most urgent shared endeavor of our lifetimes. We are in this together, and together we will win.”
By Anne-Marie Trevelyan
By Anne-Marie Trevelyan
