Vaccine Donations

Vaccine donations were a significant aspect of the supply landscape in 2021 but unfortunately deliveries were concentrated at the end of the year, overwhelming recipient countries. In addition, many of the doses donated bilaterally and through COVAX were delivered too close to their expiration dates for recipient countries to use, leading to wastage. In December 2021, recipient countries refused more than 100 million donated doses, primarily because of the short timeframe before expiry and also in some cases because storage facilities were full.

Many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, still have a long way to go to fulfill their donation pledges in 2022 but this needs to be done in concert with recipient countries and multilateral organizations like the African Union’s African Vaccines Acquisition Trust (AVAT), so that deliveries can be planned, anticipated, and matched to capacity.