COVID-19 Vaccine: We all deserve protection from Covid-19

opinion

Credit: United Nations

New Orleans, USA, December 11, 2020 (IPS) -When you sign a contract Ebola virus disease In August 2014, when I was working as a doctor at a well-known private hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, I was denied access to potential treatments.

For 15 days, I wasn’t sure if I could fight and survive for my life in a debilitated isolation ward.But American aid workers People with Ebola were given Zmapp, a monoclonal antibody treatment. 40% relative risk of death from Ebola It also shortens the length of stay in the Ebola treatment unit. They survived.

I was told that Zmapp is expensive, has limited supply, and only a few people have booked. Zmapp missed the mark of therapeutic efficacy, but its benefits could not be ruled out when compared to standard treatments at the time alone.

Imagine fighting the same illness but not having equal access to the available tools.

Imagine the psychological trauma of knowing that there may be a cure and not having access to it. Now I see history going on on a large scale-millions of people around the world, especially in poor communities, may not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Since the beginning of this month, there has been excitement within the medical and public health community. Results of Pfizer Phase 3 Clinical Trials And modern The COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be more than 90% and more than 94% effective in preventing COVID-19, respectively.This is comparable to Efficacy of measles vaccine This reduced the incidence by 99% compared to the pre-measles vaccination era. To date, there are over 50 COVID-19 vaccines at various stages of development.

An effective vaccine against COVID-19 is one of many measures that can be used to combat this pandemic and stop future pandemics (testing, tracking, quarantine, social distance, personal protection for healthcare professionals). In addition to providing the ingredients). And while as exciting as the news of potential effective vaccines, the problem is that we all have access to vaccines, including those who live in poorer areas, have multiple jobs and do not have a primary health care provider. How to make it possible. Does it reach people of colors that continue to be disproportionately affected?

The data shows that Blacks, Latinos, and other colored people More adversely affected by COVID-19, as in the case of cities like New Orleans I am currently living and working as a doctor. Will it reach illegal US immigrants trying to hide from the system because they don’t want to risk being deported? What about the poor in Nigeria, where I am from? They haven’t seen a doctor for years and don’t have access to basic medical services.

Access to this unfair health is not new. GardasilThe first vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2006, is effective in preventing cervical cancer. It is given to girls and boys of age. 11 In the United States, but in Nigeria, contributing countries 10% of the global burden of cervical cancer, There is no national HPV screening and vaccination program. Although HPV vaccines are available in the private sector, cost and fragile healthcare infrastructure pose significant barriers to access.

A Survey In 2016, women in eastern Nigeria showed that in countries where more than half of the population is low-income, they are willing to pay about $ 11.68 to vaccinate their daughters. $ 1.25 1 day.

The last thing we need in a global battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is the vaccine capitalism we are already deploying.High-income countries Purchase over 80% of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Stocks that leave poor people little or no access. May 2020, Politico President Donald Trump has reported to German vaccine company Cureback that he has moved his research facility to the United States and has provided a large amount of money to develop a vaccine specifically for the United States.

The pandemic cannot end without cooperation and sympathy for humanity, and the lives of millions lost after December 2019. If the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed fairly around the world, deaths will be reduced by more than 60%. But, Recent modeling research As shown, it will reduce death by only 33% of wealthy countries buying them all.

Thankfully, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Infectious Diseases (CEPI), the Gavi-Vaccine Alliance, the European Commission, and France met in April 2020. COVAX The aim is to ensure the fair distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide.

COVAX will fairly distribute 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021 to give people equal access to promising vaccines regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender or political party. I am aiming to do it.

This is the purpose of universal insurance. Do not sell that quality health insurance to the highest bidders. This means that we can do everything we can to prevent vaccine monopolies, work globally to ensure that these vaccines reach the poorest, and put an end to this pandemic.

December 12, 2020, International National Insurance DayLet our leaders be accountable for their commitment to achieving UHC. If Zmapp is the only proven cure for Ebola, I didn’t have access to it, so I’m not writing this here right now.

May my dream of a healthy world for all come true.

Dr. Adaora Okori Is a physician who survived Ebola disease and is working to strengthen the healthcare system to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in low-income areas and to provide equitable access to the health of all. She is also an Aspen New Voice Fellow. Follow her on Twitter @ DrAdaora.