Vaccine Equity

Vaccine Equity

It’s only impossible until it’s done
- Nelson Mandela

WHO / Blink media - Uma Bista
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Context

In 2021, WHO set the target for 70% global vaccination coverage by mid-2022.  

A continued, concerted and country-led push to deliver against nationally defined vaccination strategies can act in support of global targets.

The greatest benefits within that approach will come from prioritizing full vaccination and boosters for high-risk populations – older adults, healthcare workers, and persons with co-morbidities including immunocompromised persons.

Solutions

Strong leadership engagement and commitment to detailed and costed vaccination plans are essential. Momentum to vaccinate high-priority groups, like healthcare workers, over 60s and people who are immunocompromised, must be maintained.

National healthcare system capacity needs to be strengthened. Increasingly COVID-19 vaccination services will need to be integrated with other immunization services and alongside other health and social interventions for maximum impact and to build long-term capacity.

As people’s risk perception of the virus wanes, careful risk communication and community engagement plans need to be adapted to enhance demand for vaccination, and domestic and international funding needs to be coordinated, available and swift to deliver against clear country plans.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, a collective international effort with ‘One Country Team’, ‘One Plan’, and ‘One Budget’ was launched by WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi with international partners including the World Bank to intensify country readiness and intensify delivery support. It focuses on 34 low coverage countries, with the government at the center, to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination.

Accelerating COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment

Removing obstacles to increase coverage levels and protect those at high risk

Removing obstacles to increase coverage levels and protect those at high risk

The first meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under the Indonesian Presidency was held on 17 and 18 February 2022. The communique requested WHO and the World Bank, and implementing partners to work further with countries to report on obstacles to, and accelerate, vaccine deployment strategies to get more COVID-19 vaccines into arms. 

This report, produced to answer that request, has been prepared with the support of six international bodies involved in work to support higher levels of COVID-19 vaccination coverage and the leadership of the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership (CoVDP) and ACT-Accelerator Hub. 

WHO and the World Bank worked in collaboration with the IMF and WTO as members of the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 as well as Gavi and UNICEF as members of the CoVDP to co-produce this report.

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We’re trapped in Pandemica, but we know a way out, watch our video series on vaccine equity