The COVID-19 pandemic both highlighted and exacerbated gaps in access to medical oxygen worldwide, as health facilities failed to keep up with the demand. But there was a silver lining.
The pandemic drove attention and funding to oxygen, a lifesaving medicine that was previously neglected. Before the virus drove a surge in demand for oxygen, with some countries seeing a tenfold increase over the course of a few weeks, the global health and development community had not mobilized the resources necessary to ensure that people were not left gasping for air.
That’s where the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, or ACT-A, Oxygen Emergency Taskforce came in, raising more than $1 billion since its launch in February 2021 to help low- and middle-income countries respond to medical oxygen needs.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
