Luxury brand Gucci, owned by French group Kering, will give at least $500,000 to UNICEF to help supply and distribute COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable people around the world, it said on Friday.
In addition to the $500,000 donation; Gucci said it would match money raised for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); by up to $100,000. It invited its followers to donate through the platform gucci.benevity.org/community between Dec 5 and 26.
The U.N. agency is raising funds for COVAX, a program, led by the World Health Organization. The GAVI vaccine group, to pool funds from wealthier countries and non-profit organizations. To buy and distribute vaccines to poorer countries. COVAX has so far raised $2 billion.
Gucci’s cash will fund activities such as the supply of test kits. To curb community transmission, cold chain equipment to keep doses of vaccines effective, and the transport of vaccines.
Three studies
Earlier the race for a COVID-19 vaccine as infections surge across the United States and Europe. US biotech firm Moderna Inc on Monday said preliminary data from an ongoing phase. Three studies of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine showed it to be 94.5 percent effective.
“This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” said Moderna’s CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement. “This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation. That our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease.”
Pfizer
The news follows on from last week’s announcement from US drug giant Pfizer. That phase three trial results for the COVID-19 vaccine it’s developing with Germany’s BioNTech showed it to be more than 90 percent effective. The results of both trials place Moderna and Pfizer on track to seek authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration; in the coming weeks for emergency use of their vaccines.
Modern’s study, known as the COVE study; enrolled more than 30,000 participants; in the US and is being conducted in collaboration; with the National Institutes of Health and other US government health agencies.