:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2020/l/q/Qmx0AuQdGM0ZVpzsGHpw/vacina-bb1.jpg)
[ad_1]
Rich countries reserve more doses than they really need Covid-19 vaccines, that will leave the population of the poorest countries defenseless, warns the People’s Vaccine Alliance coalition, a group that groups together organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International and Global Justice Now).
- View the Covid vaccination schedule around the world
The group estimates that nearly 70 low-income countries will only be able to vaccinate 1 in 10 of its citizens, although the makers of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine have promised to offer 64% of its doses to developing countries.
There are different initiatives in defense of a homogeneous distribution of vaccines against Covid-19 throughout the world. The commitment known as Covax managed to guarantee 700 million doses of vaccines It will be distributed in 92 low-income signatory countries.
But even so, the People’s Vaccine Alliance says there will be a vaccination deficit in these countries, as most doses are bought in bulk by wealthy countries.
Coalition estimates indicate that high-income countries have purchased enough doses to vaccinate their entire population. three times if all vaccines are approved for use.
Canada, for example, has ordered enough doses to immunize its citizens five times.
Another example comes from the Pfizer vaccine: According to Global Justice Now, more than 80% of the doses were bought in advance by governments that represent only 14% of the world’s population..
At the other extreme are 67 countries that, in the absence of international action, will only be left with enough doses to 10% of its population. They are all low-income countries in Asia and Africa; no Latin American country is on the list.
“No one should be deprived of receiving a vaccine with the potential to save their life because of the country where they live or the amount of money they have in their pocket,” argues Anna Marriott, Oxfam’s health policy manager.
“But unless something changes dramatically, Billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and efficient vaccine against Covid-19 in the next few years.”
- Coronavirus: Africa plans to vaccinate 60% of the population in 3 years
Sinovac is the only one so far designated exclusively for developing countries – Photo: Reuters via BBC
For this reason, the alliance calls on vaccine pharmaceutical corporations to share their technology and intellectual property so that billions of additional doses can be manufactured and made available globally.
This can be done through a World Health Organization access group, the group says.
AstraZeneca, a vaccine manufacturer developed by the University of Oxford, is committed to making the vaccine non-profit immunizer available to developing countries.
Since this vaccine is cheaper than the others and can be stored in common freezers, it is easier to distribute around the world.
But activists say a vaccine alone will not be enough to supply the world.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has already received approval in the UK, which started its vaccination this week. Regulators in the United States and Europe are likely to approve the same vaccine soon.
Two other international vaccines, from Moderna and Oxford / AstraZeneca, are also awaiting approval from regulatory agencies in different countries.
At the same time, the People’s Vaccine Alliance survey cites the case of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinovac, produced in Brazil by the Butantan Institute – and the centerpiece of a political dispute between the governor of São Paulo, João Doria, and President Jair. Bolsonaro – as the only vaccine is destined exclusively to developing countries (halfway between the richest and the poorest), such as China and Brazil itself. Indonesia, Turkey and Chile also plan to use the Sinovac vaccine in their populations.
