The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution at the end of April 2020 calling on the WHO, Member States, and other stakeholders to ensure that there is equitable, transparent, fair, effective, and timely access to, and dissemination of, the suite of tools for the management of Covid-19, including future vaccines,with the aim to ensure their availability for all who need them, particularly those in developing countries. To achieve their objectives, multilateral initiatives like the ACT Accelerator and ACT Accelerator vaccine pillars will require robust support, not only in terms of providing funds, but also to contribute to the guaranteeing of timely delivery of vaccines for developing countries, including by increasing transparency in bilateral contracts, and by sharing dosages. While ensuring vaccine access for developing countries is critical to global health security, appropriate attention and financing should also focus on access to care and improving test-and-trace protocols, and increasing intensive care capacity. These new resources would support the further procurement and equitable dissemination of WHO-authorized, safe, and effective vaccines in low- and middle-income countries.
The European Union is a leading donor supporting the COVAX Facility, a global partnership to ensure access to the COVID-19 vaccine for low- and middle-income countries. In its first operation funding procurement of coronavirus disease vaccines, the World Bank reallocated $34 million from an existing health program in Lebanon to assist with an inoculation push. Lebanon received Lebanons first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines Saturday, aided by the World Bank, which said it will oversee the inoculation drive to ensure that shots are given to the people who need them most. The World Bank is monitoring the inoculation drive. Lebanons first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the country Feb. 13, 2021, under a Lebanon Health Resilience Project (LHRP) funded by the World Bank.
Since first deliveries of vaccines began in February 2021, the EU and its member states have sent 1.4 billion doses to over 150 countries. Since the first deliveries of vaccines started to take place in February 2021, the The European Union and its Member States have sent 1.4 billion doses to more than 150 countries.43 But the WHO estimates another $6*8 billion is needed to ensure COVAX can purchase and provide at least 2 billion doses before the end of 2021.3,44 The greatest threat to fair distribution stems from national purchasing strategies, which could potentially leave COVAX short on supplies.45,46,47,48,49,50,51 Many high-income countries chose not to procure vaccines through COVAX, but rather sought priority access to an abundance of Covid-19 vaccines through forward purchasing agreements with developers. While the MOPH appears to have allowed pharmaceutical companies to import approved COVID-19 vaccines, including logistics and prioritized populations, negotiating ahead-of-time supply agreements. As the world begins the vaccination drive, it is critical that we demand greater transparency from (the) Government and Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) regarding its strategy regarding COVID-19 immunization campaigns.