It is certainly good news that there are already several effective Covid-19 vaccines in the market, but this won’t necessarily end the pandemic unless the actual distribution becomes more equitable between high-income and low- and middle-income countries.
Global leaders from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the dangers of vaccine nationalism.
Recently, Dr Tedros said rich countries, while comprising only 16% of the world’s population, have already purchased 60% of available vaccine supplies.
Painting a grim picture, he continued: “Vaccine nationalism combined with a restrictive approach to vaccine production is in fact more likely to prolong the pandemic, which would be tantamount to medical malpractice on a global scale.”
According to WHO, recent studies have calculated the economic cost that countries could incur should they continue to pursue an unco-ordinated approach to vaccine distribution, the world risks global GDP losses in 2021 alone of as much as $9.2tn with half of that cost being incurred by high income countries, if they focus only on vaccinating their own populations: compared with $38bn to fully fund the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the WHO-led initiative to provide equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
The calls for global solidarity for equitable vaccine delivery have frequently centred on moral appeals, but are increasingly urging countries to look at the economic rationale and public health ramifications if low-income communities are not able to get vaccinated at the same time as those who can afford it.
“If the virus is allowed to spread like wildfire in the Global South, it will inevitably mutate — it is mutating — becoming more transmissible, more deadly and, eventually, more resistant to vaccines, ready to come back to hound the Global North,” cautioned Guterres.
COVAX, an initiative co-led by WHO, Gavi, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, is the only mechanism currently in place to deliver vaccines equitably to low- and middle-income countries.
Reports suggest COVAX is on track to deliver on its goals. Thanks to secured avenues of supply through manufacturer deals and dose-sharing, clarity on global and regional supply forecasts, balanced demand and readiness as well as additional much-needed funding, the world now has its clearest pathway yet to ending the acute stage of this pandemic, globally.
Currently, more than 200 vaccine candidates are being developed and tested around the world, but not all of them meet WHO’s science-driven prerequisites for controlling the pandemic.
In addition to the target profile, the vaccine candidates — tested in different labs and evaluated by varying regulators around the world — have to meet rigorous safety requirements to receive WHO’s final stamp of approval, vouching for their efficacy, safety, and quality.
“This vaccine introduction programme is unlike any ever before in any country around the world,” said Dr Katherine O’Brien, WHO’s Director of the Department of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals.
“We really have to make sure that the rollouts go smoothly in a way that continues to build confidence in the vaccines, given all the misinformation, conspiracy theories, and just completely inaccurate information about these products,” said O’Brien.
