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Inequality in vaccination impacts economic development

2021-07-22T22:42:28.352Z


According to data published this Thursday by three organizations, the poorest countries could recover their growth levels until 2024.


PAHO: 1 of 10 Latin Americans, vaccinated against covid-19 0:42

(CNN Business) -

Inequality in vaccination is undermining a "true global economic recovery" after the COVID-19 crisis, according to data released Thursday by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Organization World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Oxford.

The organizations said vaccine inequality will have a "lasting and profound impact" on the recovery of low- and lower-middle-income countries, unless urgent action is taken to ensure that all countries have sufficient supplies and access. suitable.

"At a time when richer countries have paid trillions in stimulus to shore up ailing economies, now is the time to ensure that vaccine doses are shared quickly, that all barriers to increasing vaccine manufacturing are removed, and that financial support be guaranteed so that vaccines are equitably distributed and a true global economic recovery can take place, "they said in a statement.

If vaccine manufacturing had increased, enough doses had been shared with the poorest countries, and they had vaccination rates similar to those in high-income countries, US $ 38 billion could have been added to their GDP forecasts. nations by 2021, according to data, compiled in the "Global Dashboard for Covid-19 Vaccine Equity."

Latin America: vaccination advances 1:16

The statement said that a high price of vaccines "could place a huge burden on fragile health systems", affect routine immunizations and essential health services, and cause spikes in diseases such as measles, pneumonia and diarrhea.

The Dashboard, which uses data from multiple organizations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Gavi vaccine alliance, shows that it is anticipated richer countries vaccinate faster and recover economically faster.

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Meanwhile, the poorest countries, some of which have not even been able to vaccinate their health workers and the most exposed populations, "may not reach pre-covid-19 growth levels until 2024."

Health workers arrive with a patient at the covid-19 center of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, in Johannesburg, on Monday, June 21, 2021.

As rich countries with high vaccination rates, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, begin to open up, the delta variant and other variants of the coronavirus are forcing some countries to reestablish public health measures against the virus.

Africa is currently facing its worst phase of the pandemic, and hospitals in South Africa have been overwhelmed with patients.

More vaccines against covid-19 arrive in countries in Africa 3:39

"This exacerbates the social, economic and health impact, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalized people," says the statement from UNDP, WHO and the University of Oxford.

In Asia, Indonesia took the place of India as the new epicenter of the pandemic, with hundreds of deaths daily in a country that has a vaccination rate of less than 6%.

In Thailand and Myanmar and across much of the continent, cases and deaths have also increased in recent weeks.

CNN data shows that dozens of low-income countries have administered fewer than 10 doses of vaccines for every 100 people, including Kenya, Bangladesh and Uganda.

Some countries have run out of doses or are about to do so.

The three organizations' joint call to action comes a day after Pfizer announced an agreement to produce its highly effective vaccine in South Africa, a move that could significantly increase access to vaccines across the continent.

  • Most poor countries do not have enough doses of Covax to continue vaccination, says WHO

Most of the poorer nations currently rely on the Covax vaccine global distribution initiative, but this has been hit by supply problems following the suspension of exports from the Serum Institute of India, which produces a large number of the vaccines. dose.

"Vaccine inequality is the world's biggest obstacle to ending this pandemic and recovering from covid-19," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the statement.

"From an economic, epidemiological and moral point of view, it is best for all countries to use the latest available data to make life-saving vaccines available to all," he added.

Radina Gigova reported from Atlanta;

Jeevan Ravindran wrote from London.

covid-19 vaccine

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-07-22

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