Argentinian negotiating global distribution of COVID-19 vaccine: “There is a logical impatience in governments”

His name is Santiago Cornejo and he coordinates more than 190 countries to guarantee the doses. Be confident, but ask for calm for the time being.

Last modification: November 21, 2020, 5:11 p.m.

“There is a logical impatience in governments,” he said.

From his office in Geneva the Argentinian Santiago cornejo is in charge, neither more nor less, that fair and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine In the whole world. It is he who coordinates the dialogue between the nearly 190 countries that are part of the GAVI Alliance and the one that describes how the solidarity contributions will be distributed so that the remedy reaches the whole planet. When turning on the camera to talk to TNA meeting with 600 people, representatives of the 92 countries to which the organization will subsidize to facilitate access to the vaccine, ended a few minutes ago. There are also 95 others that are considered “self-funded”.

“These are weeks and months of very intense work, but in recent days we have been rewarded with the good news of the efficiency of the tests of the main laboratories of the world”, begins Cornejo’s speech. The tone of satisfaction is a consequence of the objective he set for himself since he was in charge of coordinating the distribution of the vaccine: ensure that all countries of the world access it in a timely and prudent manner.

GAVI is an institution created in 2000, which has already helped immunize more than 700 million children and develop more than 500 types of vaccines. It positioned itself as a key player when it created the COVAX mechanism at the beginning of the year, where they invited all the countries of the world to participate “to prevent the remedy against Covid from being achieved only through bilateral agreements and to make sure it reaches the countries that they need it most, ”says Cornejo, the only Argentinian among more than 350 people working on the project.

From day one, they set a schedule which they hold firm to today. They plan to provide the necessary vaccines first so that all countries have between 1% and 3% of their population vaccinated, the equivalent of healthcare workers. The first objective is to avoid collapse of the health system. After, will expand the range from 3% to 20%, which includes groups at risk.

“In the short term, it is impossible for all countries to vaccinate their entire population, mainly because the supply will not be enough to cover the demand”, explains Cornejo, who studied CBC at UBA and then continued his career. in the USA. “At the beginning we saw a high risk insofar as the doses do not reach the most vulnerable countries or those in the mid-range, which are the majority in the world”, he goes on, then summarizes: “Our intention is that ‘there are vaccines in every country’.

So far this year, they have already managed to raise more than $ 2 billion in donations and plan to reach $ 5 billion in 2021. “The response from world leaders has been incredible,” he worries. note. Cornejo is obsessed with an idea he works for every day: “No country can be saved unilaterally, we will only save when we are all savedHe repeats with the pun.

As he said TN, GAVI is developing a portfolio of 10 candidate vaccines. As the WHO approves their candidacy, they can be distributed to countries that are part of the alliance. “Argentina has subscribed to the COVAX mechanism, so that it can aspire to access Moderna’s vaccine, for example,” Cornejo replied. The country does not have a bilateral agreement like it does with Oxford or the Russian laboratory, but it could receive doses under this program.

As the world awaits the long-awaited application of the doses, the second waves of coronavirus are not giving a break. In this sense, he admitted that “There is impatience among the authorities of all countries”, but describes it as “logical” given that “until now, containment is the only current tool, but it is an imperfect tool due to the high human, psychological and economic cost it generates in the world” .

Finally, he asks not to rush into the times of science because the important thing is to obtain an effective and safe vaccine. How do you feel when faced with a challenge of such magnitude? “It’s a huge responsibility,” he replied humbly and added: “It’s very enriching to know that it is possible to improve the lives of many people, and it is very important to me. because I think all that I have accomplished is the product where I come from and people with whom I grew up ”.