More than a year later, vaccine inequality is undeniable. (File)
Paris:
In October 2020, as scientists around the world raced to develop a vaccine to fight Covid-19, the World Health Organization’s leadership warned against “nationalism”. vaccines” exist.
In a video address, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the time that the only way to beat the pandemic was to ensure poorer countries had equitable access to vaccines.
“When we have an effective vaccine, we also have to use it effectively,” he said.
“And the best way to do that is to vaccinate some people in all countries rather than all people in some countries. Vaccinating nationalism will prolong the pandemic, not all countries. shorten it.”
More than a year later, vaccine inequality is undeniable.
Wealthy countries like France and Japan already provide at least one dose of medicine to more than 75 percent of their populations.
In South Africa – where the Omicron variant was first sequenced – only a quarter of the population has been vaccinated. And one of the highest vaccination rates on the continent.
But is vaccine inequality the reason behind the emergence of Omicron?
French experts tasked with informing the government’s pandemic response say Omicron may have come from a patient with a weakened immune system and is the result of a long chain of mutations that accumulated in a single wave chronic infection.
But no matter where it comes from, its spread will be “slower, the immunity of those around it is higher,” says Arnaud Fontanet, scientific advisory board member and epidemiologist at the Pasteur Institute. with AFP.
“You can imagine that the evolution of the virus in uncontrolled outbreaks creates more opportunities for variants to emerge,” he said.
– ‘Shock the world’ –
“I want this new anxiety to shock the world into realizing the importance of immunizing everyone on a global scale,” Fontanet said.
“The planet will only be safe when we achieve universal levels of immunity, significantly limiting spread, and creating opportunities for new variants to emerge,” he said.
The WHO sounded the alarm about vaccine inequality again in September as well-resourced countries began to pay attention to booster shots for vaccinated adults and those with limited resources. Others are considered vaccines for children.
Speaking from WHO headquarters in Geneva, Tedros urged countries to avoid handing out more Covid injections until the end of the year, pointing out millions of people worldwide have yet to receive a single dose.
“I will not be silent when the companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines say that the world’s poor should be content with leftovers,” he said.
A global vaccine-sharing system called Covax, led by WHO and the Gavi vaccine alliance among others, aims to provide 92 low- and middle-income countries with national support rich family.
Covax says it has successfully administered 500 million doses in 144 countries and territories, and on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to deliver one billion doses of the vaccine to Africa through funding. subsidies or subsidies for local production.
But in a joint statement on Monday, the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Trust, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Covax said the quality of the donations needed to be improved.
“The vast majority of donations to date have been impromptu, with little notice and short shelf life,” they said.
“This makes it extremely difficult for countries to plan vaccination campaigns and increase uptake.”
Fontanet agrees.
“Immunizing the world is not just a matter of dose,” he said.
“We have to support fragile health systems and work to convince people to get the wounds.”
– ‘Follow science’ –
Now that Omicron has been identified, countries are taking measures to prevent its spread by banning flights from South Africa, where it appears to have originated.
Japan and Israel are closing their borders.
But epidemiologists say these scanning gestures are beside the point.
“If you’re concerned about your risk of omicrons, get vaccinated if you haven’t already,” US virologist Angela Rasmussen tweeted on Sunday.
“Continue to take other precautions. And more than anything, let’s follow the science and advocate for global health cooperation. Travel bans won’t work. [expletive]. Vaccines and global health equity WILL. “
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
