Over a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered worldwide

Five months after Keenan became the first Westerner to be vaccinated (China started its vaccination campaign in the fall), 1 billion doses were injected throughout the world. The dozen vaccines developed in less than a year, in record time, means that some countries are already starting to emerge at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

However, this first partial victory against the coronavirus, which has claimed more than three million lives so far and has crippled the planet, has yet to overcome the hurdle of new variants, as it is not known whether the vaccines are fully effective against them.

In addition, the inequality of vaccination campaigns between rich and poor countries also complicates and distances the prospect of long-awaited herd immunity.

Since the smiling Margaret Keenan was vaccinated, who claimed to be “privileged” to receive the injection, millions of people have followed the same path, hoping to see loved ones again, resume their hobbies, go out and travel. To revive, in short.

Life before

“I came here to get my life back,” said Laszlo Cservak, 75, enthusiastically last February, as he waited for his turn in a vaccination center in Budapest.

After several errors and trials on issues such as the size of syringes or freezers in which to store vaccines created using the messenger RNA technique of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna at -70 ºC, the vaccination mechanism is well oiled and it runs full blast.

Stadiums, cathedrals, schools, pharmacies … Morning, afternoon and evening, any place can become a vaccination center. In Texas, United States, Mary Donegam waits her turn in her daughter’s car in a parking lot with the windows down. “I’m 89 and a half and I don’t want to die young!”

Israel, the first country to vaccinate the majority of its population, is already celebrating its freedom by reopening terraces and cafes. In exchange for quick access to millions of doses, the country provided Pfizer with medical data on the vaccine’s effects on its population, so since December, 80% of Israelis over 20 have received their two doses. From now on, it is no longer compulsory to wear a mask on public roads, except in closed spaces.

The United States is following closely: after going through hell in Central Park field hospitals last year, the country has just authorized vaccination for “all” ages. Half of Americans have received at least one injection.

A score equal to that of the United Kingdom in proportion, since half of Britons (32 million) have already received at least one dose.

By comparison, in the first quarter of the year, the European Union (EU) received a total of 107 million doses for a population of 446 million.

This delay was put into perspective by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Van der Leyen, who maintains her objective of vaccinating “70% of European adults by the summer”.

Eric Topol’s reaction

Renowned researcher, cardiologist and geneticist Eric Topol celebrated the historic scientific milestone on his Twitter account: “1,000,000,000 vaccine doses! A remarkable step taken today in just over 4 months after the start of the vaccination. In 177 countries, 214 sites around the world“.

“A surprising human and biomedical achievement We hope to multiply by ten and reach the greatest number of the 7.9 billion people who will benefit from protection“He added.

Obstacles and side effects

The plans of European leaders have been thwarted by difficulties with the AstraZeneca vaccine. It was first the production problems, which exasperated Brussels in February, then the isolated and very rare cases of thrombosis, some of which were fatal, recorded in March, which caused a crisis of confidence between patients and the authorities, until ‘now irreparable.

Several countries temporarily suspended the administration of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine, which also had many African countries, and then restricted it based on the patient’s age. Denmark directly renounced it.

Later, Johnson & Johnson’s US vaccine suffered the same setbacks with the development of blood clots in some patients. These are isolated and very limited cases, but they made it necessary to press the “pause” button again.

Finally, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) considered, once again, that the benefits of the medicine outweighed the risks.

However, as the US economy begins to recover, these vaccination delays, added to new lockdowns, could cost the EU 123 billion euros ($ 144 billion), according to credit insurer Euler.

Despite initial reservations, fueled by conspiracy theories, the craze for vaccines is felt by citizens, despite their very uneven distribution.

For example, Yemen and Libya, two countries at war, have just received their first vaccines. And, according to the Africa director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), John Nkengasong, the continent is today “at a dead end.”

The 55 states of the African Union (AU) have received 35 million doses, with an estimated population of 1.2 billion people.

Vaccine diplomacy

The director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recalled that in rich countries, one in four people is vaccinated, while in countries with fewer resources, only one in 500 people are vaccinated. is.

This inequality can be costly. A pesar del programa Covax, una asociación público-privada coordinada por la OMS para favorecer la equidad a la hora to distribute las vacunas, las dificultades de financiación han hecho que hasta el 15 de abril este mecanismo solo pudiera entregar 38 million dosis at 113 the countries.

In solidarity with those most in need, young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, a tireless fighter against climate change, announced that she refused to be vaccinated and donated $ 120,000 to Covax.

For their part, China and Russia are active in what has been called “vaccine diplomacy”, “soft power” or a subtle influence based on the supply of these precious drugs. Beijing, at the forefront of this strategy, is increasing its announcements of donations.

But no one is betting on “collective immunity” by the end of the year. Porque mientras los californianos regresan felices a sus parques de atracciones in Los Ángeles, in India los crematorios no pueden hacer frente a las 2.000 muertes diarias y en el mayor cementerio de Sao Paulo, in Brasil, los entirros, incontables, se realizan de día y by night.

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