UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

"The United Kingdom will host a Global Vaccines Summit on 4 June. Diseases have no borders so we must come together to make sure that Gavi is fully funded and its expertise is at the heart of efforts to secure broad access to any COVID-19 vaccine," Raab wrote on Twitter.

The Gavi Alliance, formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, released a similar statement.

"The UK government will host Gavi's third donor pledging conference on 3-4 June 2020 to mobilize at least US$7."

4 billion in additional resources to protect the next generation with vaccines, reduce disease inequality and create a healthier, safer and more prosperous world," Gavi said in a statement.

No information was available about the summit's format as to whether UK authorities intend to physically draw people together as in a conventional summit or host a video conference.

The announcement was made in tandem with the World Health Organization's launch of the ACT (Access to COVID Tools) Accelerator, a global collaboration seeking to ensure equitable access to test kits, treatment methods and future vaccines.