The World Health Organization (WHO) has again called on pharmaceutical companies to share their “knowledge” about coronavirus vaccines with the WHO Technology Access Group for “expanding vaccine production and dramatically increasing the global vaccine supply.”
This is stated in a statement called “Equity in Vaccines”, which the United Nations International Health Organization will launch tomorrow, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom, at a press conference on Thursday. from Geneva (Switzerland) Ghebreyesus.
Health workers’ groups, international organizations, religious groups, youth movements, sports and sports organizations have signed this declaration on the correctness of vaccines. Thus, it requires the performance of several groups. First, it calls on political leaders to “increase contributions to the COVAX mechanism and split doses with COVAX, in parallel with their national vaccine launch”.
It also calls on regulators to speed up the approval process for the COVID-19 vaccine “safely and effectively”. Ministries of Health are urged to work with WHO and other agencies to “invest in their primary care systems and prepare them for the distribution of vaccines to health workers and to develop data systems on vaccine supply, distribution and acceptance”. Finally, he called on governments to ensure that vaccines “are distributed free of charge at the point of care, without risk of financial difficulties, starting with health workers”.
“Vaccine equity is particularly important for fragile and vulnerable groups and small island states such as the Pacific and Caribbean, which have a small population and may not receive vaccines because they have less bargaining power than countries. the pace of vaccine development shows that where there is will, there is a way. If people around the world demand equity in access to the vaccine, it can be done, “Tedros said.
The top president of the international health organization recalled that at the beginning of the year he made a call to ensure that vaccination of health personnel was underway in all countries in the first 100 days of the year. “Tomorrow is halfway through and we have made progress, but we have not yet achieved our goal. With the inclusion of 2 versions of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the emergency use list, COVAX is ready to implement the vaccines and expects more manufacturers to meet their commitments. The world is closer to fulfilling the promise of vaccine equity, “he said.
On the other hand, the WHO launched on Thursday the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) for 2021 against coronavirus, with six objectives: suppression of transmission; reduces exposure; counteract misinformation and misinformation; protects the vulnerable; reduces death and disease; and accelerating equitable access to new tools, including vaccines, diagnoses and treatments.
The financial need to meet these goals is $ 1.96 billion, including $ 1.2 billion for the WHO component of the Vaccine and Diagnostic Accelerator. In addition, $ 643 million will be allocated to support people in need of humanitarian aid in fragile, conflict-ridden and vulnerable environments.
SPRP also recognizes the need to fully integrate the response to COVID-19 into health and development program planning. “Full funding is not just an investment in responding to COVID-19, but an investment in global recovery and building the architecture for preparing, preventing and mitigating future health emergencies,” Tedros said.
With a demand of $ 1.7 billion, the first Plan had an “unprecedented” response. “With the support of Member States and donors, we have raised $ 1.58 billion, of which over 90 percent has been allocated to countries and regions, raising vital funds for those at the forefront of the COVID pandemic. 19 and supporting the fundamental scientific and technical work of WHO. It has also enabled WHO and our partners to send millions of tests and items of personal protective equipment and to support thousands of intensive care beds around the world. “
Similarly, he claimed that, with the foreground, 191 emergency medical teams were deployed, seroepidemiological studies were supported in 58 countries and 150 training events were offered “online”, reaching 4.7 millions of participants.