Britain Says to Host 2022 Vaccine Summit to Prepare for Future Pandemics

Britain Says to Host 2022 Vaccine Summit to Prepare for Future Pandemics

A dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is prepared at COVID-19 vaccination center in the Odeon Luxe Cinema in Maidstone, Britain February 10, 2021. (Reuters)

Britain said on Friday it would host a summit in 2022 to raise money for vaccine research and development to support an international coalition seeking to speed up the production of shots for future diseases.

Britain is using its presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations to highlight the need to prepare for future pandemics in light of the devastating consequences of the coronavirus crisis.

Britain said the summit with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) next year would support the body's goal of cutting the development time for new vaccines to 100 days in future pandemics.

"We look forward to working with CEPI to speed up vaccine development, creating a global solution to ensure we're better prepared for future pandemics," health minister Matt Hancock said.

The summit is aimed at raising investment from the international community, though there was no immediate word on which governments or organizations would be invited to attend.

CEPI, a partnership created in 2017 between public, private, philanthropic and civil society groups, played a leading role in funding early development of a range of candidate