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Joint COVAX Statement on Supply Forecast for 2021 and Early 2022
- dredmorbius 5y agothe global picture of access to COVID-19 vaccines is unacceptable. Only 20% of people in low- and lower-middle-income countries have received a first dose of vaccine compared to 80% in high- and upper-middle income countries. In the critical months during which COVAX was created, signed on participants, pooled demand, and raised enough money to make advance purchases of vaccines, much of the early global supply had already been bought by wealthy nations. Today, COVAX’s ability to protect the most vulnerable people in the world continues to be hampered by export bans, the prioritisation of bilateral deals by manufacturers and countries, ongoing challenges in scaling up production by some key producers, and delays in filing for regulatory approval. No mention of patents or limitations of capital and supplies reducing the ability of lower-income countries to directly produce vaccine themselves, where that ability exists. Given much pharmaceutical production is outsourced, that ability does exist to a substantial degree.