The Pan American Health Organization on Wednesday urged the richest countries to help the poorest access the coronavirus vaccine, as protection comes only when the vast majority of the world’s population is immunized.
The statements of PAHO Director, Carissa Etienne, took place in a virtual press conference on the same day that Mexico’s Secretary of State Marcelo Ebrard asked the United Nations to stop wealthy countries from hoarding vaccines against COVID-19, as this represents an “injustice” and a risk to the safety of humanity.
With the aim of ensuring that all countries have equal access while receiving vaccines, the World Health Organization – of which PAHO is a part – and several other international institutions created the COVAX mechanism at the start of the pandemic. While this was happening, countries with increased resources began to negotiate bilateral agreements with pharmaceutical companies to ensure that they receive the vaccine through other channels as well.
So far, the only countries that have received doses have done so through these agreements, which have monopolized much of the vaccines available worldwide.
COVAX is under investigation because it does not yet have to deliver vaccines. It plans to notify more than a hundred member states – including 37 from America – next week when they will receive the first doses and how many the shipments will have.
At a meeting of the UN Security Council, of which Mexico is a temporary member, Ebrard called for a fair distribution of vaccines. He said three quarters of the first doses of vaccines administered in the world are concentrated in just 10 countries representing 60% of the global gross domestic product.
“What is happening today is opening a huge divide between that small group of countries I mentioned and the rest of the countries, most of the international community, that don’t have enough access to vaccines,” said Mexico’s secretary of state. “We could say that we have never seen such a deep division that has affected so many in such a short time. And it is urgent to act ”.
PAHO praised his words.
“Without a doubt, the call from Mexico is important,” said the organization’s deputy director, Jarbas Barbosa, and asked whether COVAX would become a permanent mechanism, similar to another one created in 2010 for the flu pandemic, and that guarantees that that vaccine manufacturers must donate a certain number of doses, sell others at affordable prices and transfer technology from their laboratories.
The region of America has been badly affected by the pandemic, although the number of infections has decreased by 10% in the last 12 weeks, mainly due to the improvements in the situation in the United States. The death toll has also fallen, although only in the past week, according to information from PAHO.
Over 1.2 million cases and 39,000 deaths have been recorded in America in the past week. In Central America, all countries, with the exception of Honduras, have seen a decline in the number of those infected. In North America, the decline is common across all countries, and in South America there are still a handful of increases, such as Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.
Some experts estimate that to achieve so-called herd immunity, a minimum of 70% of the population must be vaccinated. In America, that represents more than 700 million people.
In the nearly two months since the vaccination took place in America, nearly 63 million people have been immunized, most of them in North America.
COVAX offers a basket of vaccines at more accessible prices, so that all countries have fair access. Some pay to receive these vaccines and others, those with fewer resources, receive them as donations. The mechanism plans to distribute about 160 million vaccines in the region in the first six months of the year.