Vaccine Supply To Improve Next Year – PAHO
By: , December 16, 2021
Photo: Contributed - © PAHO/WHO
Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne. (Photo © PAHO/WHO)The Full Story
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, says coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine supplies across the region are expected to improve in 2022.
Speaking during PAHO’s COVID-19 digital media briefing on Wednesday (December 15), Dr. Etienne, who noted that global vaccine availability has increased in recent months, said agreements for the provision of additional doses have been reached with AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
She said that PAHO is also finalising arrangements with an mRNA vaccine provider.
“PAHO’s Revolving Fund is collecting commitments from member states to procure additional vaccine doses directly from manufacturers. So, this offers another procurement option at what we think are more competitive prices to our countries,” the Director noted.
Dr. Etienne pointed out that more than 598 million people in the Americas have received a complete regimen of COVID-19 vaccines.
These, she indicated, include doses acquired through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility or bought directly by countries.
Dr. Etienne informed that, to date, more than 73 million doses have been distributed across the Americas using the Revolving Fund and COVAX mechanisms.
“We have seen generous donations from the United States, Spain, Canada, and other countries that, along with COVAX, delivered nearly 20 million additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Americas,” she said, noting that “these donations are set to continue in 2022”.
Dr. Etienne noted that through these efforts, 32 of the region’s 51 countries and territories have already achieved WHO’s December 31, 2021, global vaccination coverage target of 40 per cent, adding, “We believe that many others will reach this goal in the next few weeks.”
She further advised that PAHO will continue working with countries reporting coverage rates below 30 per cent, “so they too can achieve global target and protect their populations”.
Dr. Etienne reiterated that investments in the regional platform initiative being developed, which is designed to produce mRNA vaccines, “will serve the region well for both routine immunisation services and in the event of future epidemics and pandemics”.