- It is estimated that more than half a million COVID-19 patients in LMICs require treatment with oxygen every day.
- New assessments show $ 90 million in immediate financing needed to meet urgent needs in up to 20 low and middle income countries (LMICs). Unitaid and Wellcome will make an immediate contribution of up to $ 20 million in total to the emergency response.
- COVID-19 Oxygen Emergency Taskforce brings together leading organizations working on oxygen access under the ACT-Accelerator Therapeutics pillar, as outbreaks of COVID-19 and preventable deaths occur
- Task force partners will work together to measure oxygen demand, work with funding partners, and ensure the supply of oxygen and technical support to the countries most affected
Since the beginning of the pandemic, affordable and sustainable access to oxygen has been a growing challenge in low and middle income countries.
COVID-19 has put enormous pressure on healthcare systems, with hospitals in many LMICs running out of oxygen, resulting in preventable deaths and hospitalized patient families paying a premium for scarce oxygen supplies.
Oxygen is an essential drug and, despite being vital for the effective treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, access to LMICs is limited due to cost, infrastructure and logistical barriers. Health facilities often lack access to the oxygen they need, resulting in unnecessary loss of life.
Recognizing the central importance of sustainable oxygen supply – alongside therapeutic products like dexamethasone – for the treatment of COVID-19, the Therapeutic pillar of the COVID Access Tools Accelerator (co-led by Unitaid and Wellcome), is taking over a new coordination role and advocate for increased oxygen supply and, in partnership with a consortium led by WHO[1], is today announcing the launch of a COVID-19 Oxygen Emergency Working Group.
It is estimated that more than half a million people in LMICs currently need 1.1 million oxygen cylinders per day[2], with 25 countries currently reporting increases in demand, mostly in Africa. This supply was limited before COVID-19 and was exacerbated by the pandemic.
Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said: “This is a global emergency that needs a truly global response, both from international organizations and donors. Many of the countries that saw this demand struggled before the pandemic to meet their daily oxygen needs. It is now more vital than ever that we come together to develop the work that has already been done, with a firm commitment to help the most affected countries as quickly as possible. “
The task force determined an immediate $ 90 million financing need to address major challenges in oxygen access and distribution in up to 20 countries, including Malawi, Nigeria and Afghanistan. This first set of countries was identified based on assessments coordinated by the WHO Health Emergencies Program, in order to match the country’s needs with potential funding, such as through the World Bank[3] and the Global Fund. Unitaid and Wellcome will make an immediate contribution of up to $ 20 million in total to the emergency response. The urgent and short-term needs of other countries will be measured and funded in the coming weeks, with the need for general funding in the next 12 months estimated by the ACT-A at $ 1.6 billion – a figure that will be regularly reviewed by the task force. .
Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergency Program, said: “Oxygen saves lives and it is imperative to move faster to scale up holistically with comprehensive patient-centered solutions that improve clinical outcomes. WHO has been working through the Biomedical Consortium to bring together technical, clinical and purchasing partners with about $ 80 million in biomedical equipment purchased for low and middle income countries. The Oxygen Task Force will help drive the increase in the oxygen scale through more innovation, financing and training. “
Paul Schreier, Director of Operations at Wellcome, said: “We made essential strides in providing life-saving care and clinical treatments to COVID-19 patients last year. The impact of the combination of oxygen and dexamethasone on the treatment of critically ill patients has been, in particular, incredible. But global access to advances remains uneven. We urgently need to increase access to medical oxygen to ensure that patients benefit, regardless of where they live and ability to pay. International solidarity is the fastest – and only – way out of this pandemic. It is a public health, scientific, economic and moral imperative that all tools be made available globally. “
The task force brings together key organizations[4] who have been working to improve access to oxygen since the beginning of the pandemic, including Unitaid, Wellcome, WHO, Unicef, the Global Fund, the World Bank, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), PATH, the Every Breath Counts coalition and Save the Kids. Based on these efforts, partners will focus on four main objectives as part of an emergency response plan: measuring acute and long-term oxygen needs at LMICs; connect countries to financial partners for their assessed oxygen needs; and support the purchase and supply of oxygen, along with related products and services. Other areas within the scope of the task force include addressing the need for innovative market modeling interventions, as well as strengthening advocacy efforts to highlight the importance of access to oxygen in the COVID-19 response.
Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, said: “Oxygen is a simple medical intervention that remains in short supply for many people around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic eliminated this acute shortage and made it a total emergency. But addressing the oxygen gap will not only help with COVID-19 treatment in countries that are losing many lives that can be saved. It will also help to improve health systems and health outcomes beyond COVID-19 in the long run, including for many newborns and children who need oxygen to survive ”.
Notes and publisher history
Even before COVID-19, pneumonia was the leading cause of infectious death in adults and children, killing 2.5 million people in 2019. The pandemic has exacerbated this problem, particularly in ‘double-burden’ countries, which face high levels pneumonia and COVID-19. In addition to meeting the immediate needs of the pandemic, the task force would seek to leverage gains in this area to help control pneumonia in the long term.
About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency committed to finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases more quickly, economically and effectively in low and middle income countries. His work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases, such as HIV / AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and comorbidities, such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever control. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address the challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the COVID Access Tools Accelerator. Unitaid is sponsored by the World Health Organization.
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges that everyone faces. We support discovery research on life, health and well-being, and we are facing three health challenges worldwide: mental health, global warming and infectious diseases.
About who
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, in six regions and in more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and care for the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that one billion more people have universal health coverage, protect one billion people from health emergencies and provide another billion people with better health and well-being.
About ACT-Accelerator
The COVID-19 Tool Access Accelerator (ACT) is a new global collaboration to accelerate development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. It was created in response to an appeal by G20 leaders in March 2020 and launched by WHO, the European Commission, France and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020. The ACT-Accelerator, but works to accelerate collaborative efforts between existing organizations to end the pandemic. It draws on the experience of leading global health organizations that are facing the world’s toughest health challenges and that, working together, can unlock new and more ambitious results against COVID-19. Its members share a commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to all the tools necessary to defeat COVID-19 and work with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it. ACT-Acelerador has four areas of activity: diagnosis, therapy, vaccines and the health system connector.
[1] As part of the UN’s COVID-19 Supply Chain System, a technical consortium for biomedical procurement has been established under WHO coordination, including ALIMA, BMGF, IMC, MSF, UNDP, UNHCR, Unicef, UNOPS, USAID and WFP. Approximately $ 150 million in biomedical products and oxygen-related consumables were delivered to 149 countries last year.
[2] https://www.path.org/programs/market-dynamics/covid-19-oxygen-needs-tracker/
[3] Governments can apply for funding through COVID-19, the World Bank’s emergency health response
[4] Partners joining the task force include Unitaid, Wellcome, WHO (and the broader biomedical consortium coordinated by WHO), Unicef, Global Fund, World Bank, UNOPS, Save the Children, Every Breath Counts (coalition), CHAI and PATH.