The World Health Organization expects to deliver at least two billion doses of safe and effective vaccines by the end of 2021, its CEO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced today.
The official specified that this will be possible if countries invest and join the Covax mechanism, a global initiative to guarantee the development and equitable distribution of a vaccine against Covid-19, to which 172 nations have joined, representing 70 percent. of the world population.
Gebreyesus explained at a press conference that this initiative has the largest and most diverse portfolio of vaccines in the world, which is continuously reviewed to ensure the best possible range of products.
He commented that while WHO is grateful for the funds committed, more are urgently needed to move forward as Covax offers a great return on investment.
This is the only global mechanism that works with governments and manufacturers to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are available worldwide, for both high- and low-income countries.
New research describes that global competition for vaccine doses could lead to prices soaring exponentially compared to a collaborative effort, the senior WHO official said.
That phenomenon would lead to a prolonged pandemic, as only a small number of countries would get most of the supply, so he rejected vaccine nationalism as it only helps the virus, while inviting countries that invest in individual producers to join the coalition.
He anticipated that the vaccines would initially be delivered to people with a higher risk of being infected, such as health workers, people over 65 and those who have certain diseases that increase their risk of dying from Covid-19.
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