Docsun Computation MedLab emphasizes the need for more donations of COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic. It’s essential that everyone has access to them. Vaccine inequity leaves lower-income countries – many of them in Africa – at the mercy of COVID-19.

Many countries in Africa have recently experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases and remain at high risk of further surges. But measures to contain the virus threaten fragile economic growth, and the stability of basic services such as health and education. Children are missing school and already fragile health systems are under increasing strain.

People across Africa are signing and sharing an open letter calling on G20 leaders to honor their promises to urgently deliver doses.

COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, and the dangerous surges in infection rates and the emergence of new variants in some countries place everyone at risk. The development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is a huge step forward in the global effort to end the pandemic and to get back to doing more of the things we enjoy with the people we love.

But there is currently a limited number of vaccines, so it’s critical to prioritize vaccinations to save lives and to protect public health services in all countries. The COVAX Facility – the global COVID vaccine equity scheme – represents a pathway toward addressing the imbalance in vaccine access between high and low-income countries. But COVAX is undersupplied.

G7 countries and other well-supplied nations immediately donating additional available doses to COVAX is a minimum, essential and emergency stop-gap measure, and it is needed right now.

Docsun on 5 things to know about why COVID 19 dose donations are essential

1. More than 5 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide. Yet, only around 2 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. While we need even more vaccines to meet demand, there are enough doses available among well-supplied countries to reach the world’s most vulnerable people right now.

2. The longer the virus continues to spread, the higher the risk of more deadly or contagious variants emerging – placing everyone at risk. While well-supplied countries are vaccinating their entire adult populations against COVID-19, others with very poor vaccination coverage have witnessed dangerous surges in infection rates and the emergence of new variants.

3. Millions of children in poorer countries are at the risk of developing preventable diseases due to the pandemic disrupting routine immunization services. Donating doses now could help resume life-saving services in these countries.

4. The donation of COVID-19 vaccines from well supplied countries is one of the only ways to increase the number of doses available to COVAX right now. It’s a practical solution to ensure that as many people as possible can access vaccines in every corner of the world as fast as possible in the months ahead.

5. Well-supplied countries can donate while still meeting commitments to their own populations.

Docsun on UNICEF’s call to action on COVID 19 Vaccine equity

Currently, many countries support dose donation in principle and have signaled intent to donate doses. However, we can’t wait any longer. Immediate time-bound donations are urgently needed to address the global vaccine inequities and to prevent further deadly surges of COVID-19 around the world.

High-income countries with adequate supplies of COVID-19 vaccines must:

• Turn their pledges for dose donations into reality – NOW.
• Increase their pledges for dose donations.
• Accelerate the pace of dose donations.
• Transfer over to COVAX their ‘place in line’ and contract options for supplies from manufacturers.

One act of support does not negate the other: Dose donations should be made additionally to fully funding the COVAX facility and ACT A and additional to other official development assistance commitments.

In addition, UNICEF calls on donors to:
Provide dedicated and additional immediate financing for country readiness and in-country delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and tools so that life-saving prevention and treatments are equitably available. UNICEF’s ACT-A Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal needs $659 million to support the delivery of COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and bundle vaccines in low- and middle-income countries to ensure all high-risk groups and vulnerable communities and populations are reached this year.

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Original links to the article:- https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines-why-dose-donations-are-essential