On this HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, leveraging the lessons of COVID to advance an HIV vaccine

This HIV Vaccine Awareness Day—observed each year on May 18—takes place in a new era of vaccine science. Accelerated by the knowledge, technologies, networks and community engagement models developed for HIV, the search for COVID-19 vaccines produced extraordinary results in record time. COVID demonstrated that a global sense of urgency to end a pandemic can produce ample research money overnight, help pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and nonprofits overcome previously insurmountable barriers to collaboration, and shrink vaccine development and testing timelines from decades to months. And yet, the results of those innovations are not translating quickly or equitably enough to end this pandemic. Advances in scientific R&D can’t have impact without equally robust investment in and commitment to delivery.

AVAC’s theme for HVAD 2021 is “HIV Vaccine Research: Building on Lessons from COVID”. We are focused on how the COVID experience can speed the development AND delivery of vaccines for HIV, TB, malaria and other diseases. Visit our dedicated HVAD 2021 page for resources to help make sense of this unique moment in vaccine history, and to build a global vaccine advocacy agenda for the future. There you’ll find:

The 2021 HVAD toolkit:

• Key Messages: Designed for easy communication, the HVAD 2021 messages outline the six ways that the COVID experience can shape HIV vaccine advocacy moving forward.
• Social media tiles: Sample tiles and tweets to inspire action to keep audiences #HIVvaccineaware this #HVAD2021.
• Updated HIV Vaccines 101 PowerPoint presentation.

The page also has links to:

• A recording of yesterday’s webinar, HIV Vaccines in the Midst of COVID, featuring HIV vaccine researchers and advocates Barney Graham (NIH Vaccine Research Center), Definate Nhamo (PZAT), Linda-Gail Bekker (Desmond Tutu Health Foundation), Matthew Rose (Health GAP) and Pontiano Kaleebu (MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit), discussing new vaccine technologies, delivery challenges, community engagement, and confidence in both vaccines and vaccine research.
• A new episode of our Px Pulse podcast, Dive into the AMP Trials, which helps explain the results of the recent Antibody-Mediated Prevention (AMP) study and what it could mean for HIV vaccines.
• Clinical Trials Update - A table of past, current and planned vaccine trials.
• Infographics gallery - Search by intervention—antibody-mediated prevention or HIV vaccine—for all the latest infographics.

The opportunities and challenges brought to light by COVID make this an HIV Vaccine Awareness Day like no other. This #HVAD2021, we must all become #HIVvaccineaware and ensure new vaccines get developed and delivered!