Geneva, 18 July 2024 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, has allocated nearly 200 million additional doses of key, life-saving vaccines aimed at contributing to the vaccination of approximately 50% of children in Gavi countries missed during the pandemic.

Targeted funding of US$ 290 million in support of the “Big Catch-Up” initiative was approved by the Gavi Board in December 2023, and today’s announcement indicates that all country requests received during the application window for this special effort can now move to the implementation stage.

Nearly 32 million doses have already been shipped to 13 countries* as part of the effort so far, and another 10 million doses are set to be shipped by the end of this month. Of the 35 lower-income countries targeted by the initiative, many are already conducting catch-up activities, with others poised to launch efforts imminently.

“Lower-income countries made unprecedented efforts to vaccinate their populations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this emergency response strained their health systems. Now, our priority is twofold: help countries regain lost ground in routine immunisation coverage and build more resilient and equitable vaccination programmes for the future,” said Thabani Maphosa, the Managing Director of Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi. “Gavi and our partners are acting swiftly to support this critical public health mission, recognising that strong immunisation systems are the foundation for combating disease outbreaks and saving lives.”