We don’t have all the answers for questions we pose here. However, we do know we have to get at least 70% of the global population immune, to stop the COVID virus. For if we do not, then the cycle of mutations and surges will continue. India is just a taster of what could follow. Unless we can lay our hands on COVID vaccines for the poorest countries in the world.
The Poorest Countries Cannot Afford to Pay for Vaccines
The poorest countries in the world cannot afford to pay for vaccines according to BBC. We can point fingers in many directions, but the fact is the money is not there, so we have to fund the project from somewhere else.
Director-General of World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus believes we need upwards of US$50 billion to close the gap. This is chicken feed in terms of global wealth, but political dynamite to achieve.
Our Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a health pandemic as ‘occurring over a wide geographic area, such as multiple countries or continents’. And it typically affects a significant proportion of the population.
We Need COVID Vaccines for the Poorest Countries in the World
To date the world has left this problem in the hands of Covax. This is a self-appointed initiative hoping to ensure fair access to vaccines among rich and poor nations alike. Although it enjoys participation from World Health Organization, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and UN children’s fund, UNICEF.
We can’t abdicate, and rely solely on Covax to arrange vaccines for the poorest countries in the world. We need to lobby our politicians to make meaningful contributions to the Covax fund so it can achieve its goal.
And we need to do this soon, before another even more voracious mutation strikes. This is not an academic matter to kick ball-like down the road. The pandemic could become even more deadly serious, if we let it roll on uncontrolled.
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Preview Image: COVID Cases in Selected Countries
