COVID-19 vaccination: only 22% of the world’s population received at least one dose

The coronavirus pandemic has already affected more than 179 million people worldwide. Deaths from coronavirus infection have already passed 3.8 million. In addition, the pandemic has had its impact on the management of chronic diseases by causing an overflow of care in hospitals. In this context, Vaccination against COVID-19 is essential to counter the spread of infections and reduce the risk of new variants of the virus that are even more difficult to control.

However, the vaccination process, which started with the first application of a dose last December in the UK, is generally delayed. Today, only 22.2% of the world’s population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

2.8 billion doses have been administered worldwide and 40.5 million are currently administered each day. But the inequality of access to vaccines is remarkable: only 0.9% of the population in low-income countries has received at least one dose, according to the portal. OurDataWorld.

On the one hand, there are already dozens of countries that have advanced vaccination campaigns as they rush to protect the population and start their economy. Many find themselves in a situation where the most vulnerable people are fully immunized, giving hope that the worst effects of the pandemic are over. However, many developing countries are struggling to acquire adequate vaccine doses and are experiencing new waves of pandemics.

Those with the most advanced vaccination campaigns – like Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom – began to see the benefits, with death rates decreasing as their populations become immune. This week, Shao Yiming, spokesperson for the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced that he was increasing his group immunity threshold by vaccination from 70% of those vaccinated to 85%. Over a billion doses of vaccine have already been applied there, but more than 2.2 billion doses would be needed to achieve this level of coverage in China

As, Several countries in Europe have also expanded their immunization coverage, but many developing countries have yet to be able to acquire doses at the same rate. This delay can have an impact not only on the population of developing countries but also on that of developed countries.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues to take its toll. The global death toll from COVID-19 in 2021 has already exceeded the total death toll from the virus in 2020. About 1.88 million people died from the disease worldwide last year, up from 1.99 million this year as of June 22. according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the fact that vaccines already exist, some countries have had difficulties especially this year, such as the India, where there have been over 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 this year. Although infections and daily deaths have fallen to record levels, nearly 250,000 COVID-related deaths were recorded in the United States in 2021, largely due to an increase in cases earlier this year.

One of the reasons for the increase in cases is the appearance of the worrisome variants. The Delta variant of the coronavirus has the potential to be more deadly and puts the most vulnerable people at even greater risk, the World Health Organization warned this week, which is ensuring time is running out to administer the COVID vaccines. .19 to the populations that are most affected. at risk of developing complications.

WHO Emergency Director Michael Ryan lamented “catastrophic moral failure” which means not having vaccinated the highest risk population in all countries. “This Delta variant is faster, more capable, it will attack the most vulnerable more effectively than the previous ones and if there are vulnerable people who are not vaccinated, they are at greater risk. All of these variants are fatal, but this one has more potential because it is more efficient in transmission and will eventually find people who will become seriously ill, be hospitalized and may die. We can protect these vulnerable people now, ”said Ryan.

From the United Nations health agency, they acknowledged that no country has “excess” vaccines. But he clarified that Solidarity consists in donating it, not when there is a surplus, but after the health workers, the elderly and the population at risk have been vaccinated. “If we wait for them to save, they will never be given away,” said Bruce Aylward, WHO senior adviser.

The epidemiologist leading the WHO coronavirus response, Maria Van Kherkove, insisted that The vaccines are still effective against all variants, but he stressed that to achieve maximum protection it is necessary to receive the full immunization schedule. “So far vaccines have been very effective, but there may be a constellation of mutations that cause them to lose their effectiveness,” he said, insisting that the most important thing is to stop transmission. virus.

Consulted by Infobae, Melchor Mazzini, advocacy director of the non-governmental organization AHF Argentina, commented on the impact of delayed vaccination in developing countries: “Except in some (mainly developed) countries, vaccination is still slow. We understand that this is due to the lack of supplies and laboratories available to produce more vaccines at a better rate. At the current rate of vaccination, it would take 5.8 years to immunize the world against COVID19 ″.

The nonprofit is leading a Vaccinate Our World initiative. “From our point of view – argued Mazzini – it is urgent that the suspension of patents and the transfer of technology for the production of generic vaccines be carried out. It depends on the decision of countries and companies in the pharmaceutical sector. Much of the money for research and development has come from public funds. We therefore insist on the fact that vaccines must be a public good for humanity, ”he said. Infobae.

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