Rich countries vs. Low: The COVID-19 vaccine distribution dilemma

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has assured that 37 Latin American countries and territories participating in COVAX have already been informed of this first phase of administration of the vaccine developed by the British laboratory AstraZeneca and the University of ‘Oxford. This tool will send in the first half of the year, a period between mid-February and the end of June, more than 35 million doses of the vaccine to fight against the coronavirus. Many countries are rejoicing that they are already vaccinated against COVID-19, but the intention is not to create a sense of security with health measures to continue to slow the spread of the virus. The pandemic numbers continue to worsen.

The mechanism COVAX is a global effort to accelerate equitable access to coronavirus vaccines and thereby ensure they reach all who need them. It is the most efficient option to access vaccines for countries and populations, especially the most vulnerable.. The goal is to provide doses to at least 20% of those who are part of the WHO (World Health Organization) plan, in order to protect those at higher risk of having severe symptoms of SARS-CoV -2. Many states do this with their own funding and others at no cost due to their economic situation or the size of their population.

“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has accompanied and provided the necessary technical support to Member States to support them in each phase of their participation in this mechanism, in addition to the preparation of national vaccination plans against COVID-19Said its deputy director, Dr Jarbas Barbosa. On the other hand, he said: “The use of these vaccines will allow us to move forward in the fight against this pandemic, but we still need to maintain and strengthen public health measures, such as the use of masks, avoid crowds, social distancing and frequent hand washing, to avoid transmission, increased cases and deaths from COVID-19. “

The region will need to vaccinate around 500 million people to control the pandemic. The coalition led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), to ensure access to vaccines, has already communicated the estimated dose allocation for Latin America in its first phase of delivery of vaccines against COVID-19, through a letter to their health authorities. They have already received a notification regarding the estimated number of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that could arrive from the second half of February and throughout the second quarter of 2021.

The situation in the European Union (EU) is no better than in Latin America. The German laboratory BioNTech has promised to deliver 75 million doses of the vaccine developed with the American Pfizer. While the AstraZeneca laboratory, which has aroused strong dissatisfaction among European leaders due to production delays recorded, will increase its vaccine deliveries by 30% in the first quarter. Members of the European Union (EU) maintain their goal of vaccinating 70% of adults before boreal “end of summer”.

Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), assured that “With more than 45 million confirmed cases and more than one million deaths, the countries and territories of the Americas, and in particular the poorest, are experiencing an unprecedented health, economic and social crisis“. And he also added that the start of vaccine delivery is an “encouraging step in the fight against this virus and PAHO is proud to facilitate an effort that is urgent for our region.” The American continent currently has 46 million positive cases and 1 million deaths from the coronavirus.

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