Two-track approach to tackling coronavirus needed to save lives
- As the Delta variant continues to spread, the world must prioritise ensuring that the most vulnerable get vaccinated and are adhering to sound public health measures, such as mask wearing and social distancing
In combination with new more infectious variants and the “me first” attitude of some countries, the unvaccinated and those who have received only one dose of vaccination are at increasing risk. The world is at a perilous point and we, the WHO director-general’s special envoys, are calling for a renewed commitment to a comprehensive approach to defeating this pandemic.
We have to accelerate along two tracks – one where governments and vaccine manufacturers support all WHO member states in their accelerated efforts to create vaccine manufacturing capacity and vaccinate their most vulnerable populations, and the other where individuals and communities maintain a steely focus on continuing essential public health measures to break transmission chains.
Achieving the 10-per-cent goal means 250 million more people in low- and middle-income countries must be vaccinated between May and September, prioritising all health workers and the most at-risk groups to save lives.
Such goals align with the bold initiative by the WHO, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization and World Bank to call for US$50 billion in increased financing to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s population by the end of the year and 60 per cent by mid-2022.
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WHO continues working to make safe and effective vaccines and other tools available to the world, from issuing Emergency Use Listings (EUL) for 11 vaccines so far, to launching the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator to spur development of and access to solutions to diagnose, treat and vaccinate vulnerable people in all countries, to enabling developing countries to create their own vaccine manufacturing capacity.
Engaging with communities, building trust and empowering people to feel part of the response are the keys to inspiring people to continue, even more than a year into the pandemic.
The urgent call is to save lives. The world has a moral imperative to do so. Global solidarity – even fuelled by the selfish interest of stopping the emergence of new variants – is needed more than ever.
By actively calling for a two-track approach of ensuring that the most vulnerable get vaccinated and adhering to sound public health measures, and by calling out those who could be doing more, the whole world can all benefit and save lives. No one is safe until everyone is safe.
Dr Palitha Abeykoon is the WHO director-general’s special envoy for Southeast Asia. This article is authored by six WHO special envoys