India can accelerate the campaign to deliver the corona vaccine to developing and poor countries through the United Nations and other global forums. Many poor and developing countries have expressed concern in this regard that the vaccine should not be controlled only by rich countries and rich people and its equitable distribution should be ensured. Polio and TB vaccines have not reached all countries in sufficient quantities till date. African countries have expressed special concern in this regard.
India has given confidence:
The system of vaccine production and distribution in India is stronger than other countries. Along with fulfilling its own needs, India is ready to take forward the matter of all those countries which are in need. India has agreed with the neighboring countries in this regard. During the Bangladesh tour itself, Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said that if the vaccine is made, then all our friends, allies, neighbors will get it and Bangladesh has always been a priority for us. India has also assured Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh. Sources say that in the recent past, the production of vaccine and its access has become a matter of debate on almost all global forums.
WHO has made arrangements:
To ensure equitable distribution of any vaccine, the World Health Organization created the COVAX Center in April. This center is trying to bring together governments, scientists, social organizations and the private sector. However, vaccine manufacturing companies like Pfizer are not yet a part of it. But the company has expressed its desire to make possible supplies to COVAX. Organizations like UNICEF are also raising the issue of ensuring access to vaccines to poor countries.
It will take time to reach poor countries:
Experts say that it is unlikely that the first vaccines for the coronavirus will reach poor countries. Based on advance contracts with Pfizer for the purchase of the vaccine, it has been estimated that 1.1 billion doses are to go entirely to rich countries. Countries like Japan and Britain, which have already placed orders for the vaccine, are members of COVAX. In such a situation, it is possible that some of the vaccines they buy may be available to developing countries. The US, which has ordered 600 million doses, is not a part of COVAX. But a new strategy is expected after Biden becomes president.
India is a big center of hope:
Hope rests on the discovery of new vaccines. India has emerged as a big center of hope for the world. During Covid, India has provided help to about 150 countries. India’s campaign on vaccine discovery is also moving forward in a responsible manner.
There was a struggle to make these vaccines equally accessible
Polio: Polio vaccines were developed in the 1950s and ’60s. Within a decade, the virus was eradicated in most developed countries. But it took until August this year for the continent of Africa to be declared polio-free. Afghanistan and Pakistan are still plagued by the disease.
Tuberculosis: This disease killed 1.4 million people last year. That’s more than the number of people who died from Covid-19. The tuberculosis vaccine was developed nearly a century ago, but there have been millions of deaths since that time. There hasn’t been a shared will to avoid deaths by making the vaccine universal.
Measles: Measles killed nearly 140,000 people worldwide in 2018, most of them children under the age of five. There is a safe measles vaccine that prevents millions of deaths each year. But 1 in 7 children worldwide do not receive it within a year of their birth, leaving them vulnerable.
