The Gates Foundation has worked with manufacturers and partners to deliver vaccines cheaply at large scale, including to 822 million children in low-income countries through Gavi.

True: Gates Foundation or Gavi records show that by February 2021 the foundation had worked with manufacturers and partners, including through its funding of Gavi, to deliver vaccines at low prices on a very large scale, and Gavi reported about 822 million children vaccinated in lower-income countries since 2000. Mostly true: the partnership and large-scale low-cost delivery are confirmed, but the child figure is somewhat off (within about 10% of 822 million) or the period is slightly different. Mixed: the foundation's role is confirmed but the 822 million figure is substantially wrong, or that figure belongs to a different measure than the one stated. Mostly false: the foundation's role is minor or indirect and the claim overstates it. False: the foundation did not do such work.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Immunization Program - Expanding Vaccine Access Worldwide Gates Foundation · 20 March 2025 Own record

   “We support Gavi as the primary channel for funding vaccines in lower-income countries.”

2. E2 Immunization Program - Expanding Vaccine Access Worldwide Gates Foundation · 20 March 2025 Own record

   “Our largest grantee is Gavi, which has successfully accelerated vaccine introductions and improved immunization coverage in lower-income countries. From 2000 to 2023, Gavi and its partners have immunized over 1.1 billion children, preventing more than 18.8 million future deaths.”

3. E3 Immunization Program - Expanding Vaccine Access Worldwide Gates Foundation · 20 March 2025 Own record

   “Our foundation has helped to accelerate the development and introduction of many new vaccines—including vaccines against polio, pneumococcal pneumonia, rotavirus, measles, meningitis A, cholera, and HPV—that have saved or improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people.”

4. E4 Annual Progress Report 2019 Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

   “Since Gavi was established in 2000, its mission to save lives, reduce poverty and protect the world against the threat of epidemics has helped vaccinate more than 822 million children in 73 countries through the end of 2019 – preventing more than 14 million future deaths.”

5. E5 2020 Annual Letter Gates Notes (Bill and Melinda Gates) · 10 February 2020 Own record

   “By 2019, Gavi had helped vaccinate more than 760 million children and prevent 13 million deaths.”

6. E6 2020 Annual Letter Gates Notes (Bill and Melinda Gates) · 10 February 2020 Own record

   “It has also succeeded in bringing more vaccines and supplies into the market while lowering prices. For example, a single dose of the pentavalent vaccine, which protects against five deadly infections, used to cost $3.65. It now costs less than a dollar.”

7. E7 The Global Vaccine Summit, hosted by the UK, raises US$ 8.8 billion for immunisation UK Government (GOV.UK) · 5 June 2020

   “Other top donors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Norway, Germany and the United States.”

Gavi's 2019 Annual Progress Report (E4) says Gavi helped vaccinate more than 822 million children in 73 countries from 2000 through the end of 2019. That matches the figure in the claim and comes before February 2021. The UK government (E7), a source independent of the foundation, names the Gates Foundation among the top donors at the 2020 Global Vaccine Summit, which raised money for immunisation. The foundation's own pages describe Gavi as its main channel for funding vaccines in lower-income countries (E1) and its largest grantee (E2), and Bill and Melinda Gates's 2020 letter says Gavi lowered vaccine prices, citing a pentavalent dose falling from $3.65 to under a dollar (E6). Together these meet the criteria for large-scale, low-cost vaccine delivery through partners and for the 822 million figure.