Until we are all safe, no one is safe. Covid is a global problem @RobinMcKie theguardian.com/world/2021/jan…
It is reasonable & understandable for countries to roll out vaccines to vulnerable people & #HCW within country. But at the same time ensure that vaccines are made available urgently & equitably globally through ACT-A, @WHO, @GAVI & @CEPIvaccines
That needs intense planning, manufacturing at scale, trust, communication, logistics, people & teams, regulation, approvals, cold chains. That does not happen overnight. Urgent planning now for when vaccines are available is crucial.
A scientific,public health,financial, economic imperative. As well as a moral & ethical one. It is enlightened self-interest. If not, a world with some protected & others not will inevitably lead to new strains which circulate very quickly around world & the pandemic starts again
There can be no end to a reverberating pandemic until transmission is reduced to or very close to zero. Everyone, everywhere is protected. No opportunity for new strains to emerge which evade diagnostics, treatments, vaccines.
There is no place for vaccine nationalism, vaccine apartheid, vaccine inequity. It is in no ones interest. Vaccinating vulnerable communities & #HCW is a priority for all countries. Making sure equitable global access is seen as an urgent issue is critical.
The longer we wait greater the chance new strains will emerge that evade natural infection & vaccines. Imagine a world where there is a delay & by time vaccines are shared it is too late. Recent data around world shows how perilously close we are to that now. It will not be long.
We all face choices. We can hide behind complexity of difficult choices. We can say not now but later. We can say we cannot change future path of pandemic. But we can. By the choices we make, actions we take. Choices matter. Choices we make now will determine coming mths & yrs.
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