After the development of COVID-19 vaccines brought a moment of relief, many nonprofit leaders shifted to the next phase of their pandemic response: equitable distribution of the vaccines. Here’s what you need to know and how you can support vaccine distribution in hard-to-reach communities around the world.
COVAX, the initiative working to ensure equitable vaccine distribution globally, announced agreements to access nearly 2 billion doses of several promising vaccine candidates last December. The hope was that all 190 countries and territories participating in the initiative would have access to the vaccines for at-risk groups in the first half of 2021.
Source: Reuters + The New Humanitarian
Despite the COVAX effort, a clear divide has emerged in who has early access to coronavirus vaccines. Nearly 85% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses administered have gone to people in high-income and upper-middle-income countries. Meanwhile, just 0.3 percent of doses have been administered in low-income countries. One report projected that it would take low-income countries 57 years to reach full vaccination at the current rate.
Source: The New York Times + Oxfam
“As wealthier countries buy up early vaccine supplies and drive up prices, I remain concerned about mobilizing the resources necessary to reach people in low- and middle-income countries.”
— Sandrina da Cruz, Senior Manager of Disaster Response at GlobalGiving
The stakes for quickly and safely distributing COVID-19 vaccines remain high. A total of seven vaccines are now available for public use, in limited quantities, in at least 176 countries.
Each vaccine comes with its own challenges and advantages. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has a high effectiveness rate but must stay at −90°F (−70°C), far colder than a freezer, and then be thawed before use. China and Russia’s vaccines use inactivated viruses and can therefore be stored using standard refrigeration temperatures. However, this type of vaccine takes longer to produce than the mRNA versions. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is more travel-friendly and only requires one shot, but it has a lower efficacy rate.
Source: Bloomberg + The Washington Post
Regardless of the maker, successful distribution requires tremendous collaboration among governments, medical suppliers, health care facilities, and nonprofit organizations.
Refugees often live in crowded spaces that make social distancing nearly impossible. Yet, of the 133 countries which the United Nations refugee agency has information on, only 54 have included explicit provisions to cover populations such as refugees, asylum seekers, and people who are stateless or internally displaced in their finalized vaccination plans.
Source: NCBI + The Washington Post
“Equitable vaccine distribution must be inclusive of the individuals and families living in precarious conditions across refugee camps. For the health and safety of everyone, host communities and refugees need to have equal access to vaccine stocks,” Sandrina said.
Nonprofits like International Medical Corps (IMC) are supporting vaccination efforts in refugee camps in Jordan, including at Azraq refugee camp, where IMC is the main health care provider. IMC will also help South Sudan implement a vaccine program by addressing the major need to increase coordination and communication between the capital of Juba and remote states.
Although concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccines are low globally, some countries have high levels of vaccine skepticism. Between 10-22% of people across Europe don’t believe that vaccines are safe. On the other hand, most people in Bangladesh and Rwanda think vaccines are safe, effective, and important for children. In the United States, political partisanship has influenced opinions about COVID-19, and skepticism about the vaccine is particularly high.
Source: Politico + The Washington Post
“It inevitably comes down to trust. To reach the last mile, to reach those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and located in the hardest-to-reach areas will take more than the right equipment and resources,” Sandrina said. “It will also require overcoming the mistrust borne out of lived experiences under structurally discriminatory systems.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needs ultracold storage across the supply chain, which will cost pharmacies and doctor’s offices upwards of $15,000 for an ultracold freezer alone. Medical supply nonprofits can help governments distribute the fragile vaccines to hard-to-reach areas and store them once they get there, but major investments are needed.
Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe said the organization’s ongoing humanitarian activities delivering insulin, vaccines, and cancer medications to people in resource-strapped areas and following natural disasters made them aware of the barriers and often preventable tragedies caused by inadequate cold-chain capacity.
Source: ScienceMag
For countries with limited infrastructure and rough terrain, delivering mass quantities of a fragile vaccine is no easy task. Governments will need to coordinate with local leaders and nonprofit medical suppliers to make it happen.
“We will work with health ministries and local bodies to develop vaccination planning, supply PPE, identify logistics needs and resources, and provide infrastructure support via storage, warehousing, and cold-chain access to facilitate last-mile delivery to remote populations,” Javed Ali, Director of Emergency Response at International Medical Corps, said.
Governments in many countries recognize that nonprofits have networks that will help them distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
“Nonprofit leaders have profound knowledge of the local context where they work. They have built strong relationships and earned their communities’ trust,” Sandrina said.
Since last March, GlobalGiving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund has helped fill critical gaps in COVID-19 response worldwide. The fund has fueled nonprofit organizations that are on the front lines of the pandemic distributing lifesaving medical supplies to hospitals and clinics, delivering meals to families during lockdowns, or meeting their communities’ needs in other ways. GlobalGiving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund will continue to support distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to people around the world.
Source: GlobalGiving Coronavirus Relief Fund
Featured Photo: COVID-19 Emergency Response by Health in Harmony
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