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“I have not fully recovered and my body is still weak. My feet are swollen. If I walk for more than 10 minutes, I will find myself sweating and out of breath. Despite this, I returned to work.”
Hasna Gul, a UNICEF staff member in Pakistan, said UNICEF plans to vaccinate around 800,000 vulnerable children with polio and is in the process of preparing for this immunization campaign. She was infected with the 2019 coronavirus disease and was in serious condition.
She had polio and this experience convinced her of the benefits of vaccination. She said: “I realized the importance of vaccination since I was young. I remember my mother telling me and my brothers and sisters that we should complete the vaccination.
Popular vaccine
Images from the National Institutes of Health
Cells infected by the new coronavirus under digital photographs.
Earlier this year, there was no cure for the new coronavirus disease and people like Gul weren’t easily treated. So when the news came: The new crown vaccine was reported to be effective and was first introduced in the UK in December this year. Then it was approved in several other countries and people were very relieved.
However, before the announcement, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres insisted on providing a new crown vaccine for everyone, not just people from rich countries, as early as June.
The idea that we can protect the rich and make the poor suffer is a stupid mistake. -United Nations Secretary General Guterres
In an exclusive interview with United Nations News in September, Guterres used strong language to accuse rich countries of lack of unity in finding a vaccine that benefits everyone. He said: “The idea that we can protect the rich and make the poor suffer is a stupid mistake.”
In September, global partners launched the COVID-19 vaccine plan, supported by the World Health Organization, aimed at sharing the risks and costs of developing a vaccine. This plan gives people in participating countries, especially low-income countries, early access to vaccines. As a result, optimism is growing: the plan is expected to provide around 2 billion doses of vaccine by the end of 2021.
Oxford University Photograph / John Cairns
Researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK are conducting research on the new corona vaccine.
At the same time, in November, UNICEF launched a “grand operation”, cooperating with more than 350 partners from major airlines, shipping companies and logistics associations around the world, ready to ship the vaccine to More than 92 countries ship vaccines.
WHO praised the unprecedented speed of vaccine development: As of December, more than 150 candidate vaccines were in various stages of development.
Is the end of the epidemic in sight?
© UNICEF Photo / Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
The anti-epidemic materials provided by UNICEF arrived in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela (photo from August 2020).
Looking ahead to 2021, it is clear that even with the help of the COVID-19 vaccine program partnership, there is great potential. Many people, especially those in developing countries, will still not be vaccinated for a long time this year. There is a risk of contracting the new coronavirus. Despite this, the WHO chief announced in December this year that the new corona pandemic is expected to end.
By mid-2021, the new corona vaccine plan is expected to provide enough vaccine to protect the 190 health and social care workers in the countries participating in the plan who require the vaccine during this period. Additionally, all other participating countries should get enough vaccines to cover 20% of their population by the end of 2021 and further increase coverage in 2022.
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We can expect that the “misinformation” that is one of the hallmarks of the new corona pandemic will continue to circulate in 2021. Misinformation about the dangers of the new corona vaccine already exists today.
Even before the World Health Organization announced the global new corona pandemic, the United Nations was increasingly concerned about the spread of misinformation and took steps to eliminate unfounded rumors that the new corona virus was contracted from a contagious cloud. In May this year it increased its outreach efforts and launched the “United Nations Certification Information” campaign. This campaign aims to eliminate lies and distorted information and provide reliable and accurate information on crises. This campaign will continue into next year to combat the continuing spread of panic and unfounded rumors against vaccines.
Image: UN Verified
The United Nations campaign “United Nations Certification Information” aims to provide reliable information.
Avoid the next pandemic
The new corona pandemic has brought endless suffering and disaster to millions of people, causing many people to dive into historical books to trace the 1918 Spanish flu in order to make some comparisons in scale and severity. .
However, people are really very concerned that this pandemic is no longer a once-in-a-century event. In July this year, a report from the United Nations Environment Program warned that due to rising demand for meat, unsustainable agricultural practices and the global climate crisis, the world should expect that animals transmit more diseases. Humanity.
The question that the international community must answer is how to limit the spread of such diseases so that they no longer spread globally. In October, the United Nations made a series of recommendations to governments, especially advocating for universal health coverage, establishing a strong public health system, and taking emergency preparedness measures.
The message the United Nations wants to convey is that there is no simple solution: Vaccines are extremely important, but they are not a panacea for everything and cannot replace good governance and effective international government cooperation.
