Name: Covid vaccine: Will poorer countries lose out? - BBC News
Uploaded: 2020-12-06T18:42:49.000Z
Duration: 5 min 45 s
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172 countries have signed up to a program to ensure doses are equitably distributed around the world.

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But some of those, including the UK, have brought vaccines directly from the pharmaceutical companies.

But there are real fears that lower income nations will be left behind.

I'm joined now by our correspondent Roger Adi Ammo in Nairobi.

Uh, tell us firstly, what the situation is in Nairobi in terms of getting access to a vaccine on whether or not there will be some kind of a roll out program there.

So so far just to say, uh, in terms of the spread of covid-19 in Kenya, we've seen that there's been a spike in cases and this is because of the ease of movement that was reduced by the president and asked him to ease when he asked the government to ease down the lockdown measures.

But in terms of rolling out a vaccine, the government has partnered with UNICEF to come up with structures where they're able to train health care workers and also see how they're able to roll out the vaccine to people who need them most.

And these are priority groups and we've seen what the WHO and the Africa CDC have said that the priority groups should be healthcare workers because these are people who are taking care of people who are severely and critically ill of covid-19, and also the elderly people who have underlying conditions.

What about in terms off cost off this road?

Er, is there an issue regarding whether or not uh, the country will be able thio get the resources to actually get hold of the vaccines in the first place?

Cost is something that has played a key role in how Kenya has access even the other existing vaccines.

But we've seen a support from the W two together with a Global Vaccine Alliance initiative is that once a potential cove in 19 vaccine has been licensed and approved to be used in the African continent.

In the context of Kenya and many other low and middle income countries, the vaccine will cost about three U.

Dollars, and many people in Kenya have said that this is still in too expensive for them.

Thio, take this vaccine because you have to remember that we right now we do not know which vaccine will be used in the continent, whether it's the Oxford AstraZeneca one or the Madonna one.

And all of them have to be given at least two dozers at some days apart.

So cost is still something that is still being discussed.

Because also Kenya has to put us to set aside some funding to see how they're going to be able to procure some of these vaccines through the facility that the W H O has set up radio.

Thank you so much for talking us through that Roeder or the AMBO there in Nairobi.

Well, I'm joined now by Ross Schools Policy adviser to Medicine Sans Frontiere Thank you so much for being with us vaccine nationalism.

Just talk us through the dangers off what there is regarding preferential treatment when it comes to vaccines.

We're very concerned about the dangers of vaccine nationalism and what we're seeing.

Vaccine nationalism is a term that's kind of arisen during the pandemic, where what we're seeing is some countries putting national interests essentially above global collaboration and the solidarity that's needed to end this pandemic andan some cases to the detriment of other countries being able to get access.

So this came around because high-income countries, including the UK, EU and the US, are pre-ordering essentially more than their fair share of the available global supplies of Covid vaccines.

So what we will see is that they will be limited global, available global supplies, at least initially for any successful approved vaccines.

But what we're seeing is high income countries like you said, going directly to companies to pre order their doses on what this means is that those with the deepest pockets the countries that can you know, can afford essentially our booking up the limited available supply.

So there's going to be very little left for lower middle income countries just to take the Pfizer vaccine as an example out of their projected available supplies until the end of 25 2021 85% of that available supplies already being sold essentially pre booked the high income countries.

So we're really concerned about what the available supply will be for lower middle income countries in this situation.

Well, with that in mind, then how can we ensure that vaccines are fairly distributed around the world?

I mean, you know, a couple of global health institutions have come together, as your previous correspondent was mentioning to form the Kobe Vaccine Global Access Facility the Kovacs facility with the aim of increasing equitable distribution of forgive me for interrupting rules.

But not everybody, as we know, has signed up Thio Kovacs, the World Health Organization initiative.

So there will be people that are falling by the wayside here.

And this is that what we're concerned about is Amazon.

We're really concerned that the interest of high income countries and the way that they're pursuing their orders outside of Kovacs and not always engaging with Kobach is really problematic on we'll need toe will lead to a delay in low and middle income countries getting access by months or potentially years.

You know, we're seeing situation now where the UK is hoping to roll out the vaccine next week.

Well, you know, it's going to be months if not years.

But before learn, Millikan countries in some cases could say the same thing.

So I mean, you know, what we really want to see is the maximization of the available global supply.

So that We're not all scrambling over the supplies we need to maximize available supplies on.

Pharmaceutical companies and governments need to share data and knowledge on these technologies with his many manufacturers is possible around the world so that we can scale up these supplies as much as possible.

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Covid vaccine: Will poorer countries lose out? - BBC News

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