Vaccines: Doses, Distribution and Bridging the Great Divide

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The COVID Vaccine Race has been nothing short of a scientific triumph. In just under a year the unimaginable has happened, with not just one but several different vaccines tested, transported and delivered to millions around the world to protect them against a virus that has brought the world to a standstill.

But the global rollout has not been without its travails and has highlighted long-standing inequities between wealthy and less affluent countries. With demand for COVID vaccines outstripping supply, concerns over possible side effects, and new variants of the virus emerging, the vaccine rollout has hit a massive speedbump. Equitable and sustainable solutions to the COVID pandemic have never been more pressing.

To mark World Immunization Week and address the global COVID vaccine challenge, UNICEF Innocenti’s Leading Minds will ask the high level panel how we keep up the momentum of the vaccine race while leaving no one behind; solutions to simplify complex trade barriers on intellectual property rights and technology transfer; and how can we develop vaccine manufacturing capacity where it is needed most.

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The Governments of Norway and South Africa are co-leads of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator whose purpose is to foster an equitable distribution of COVID-19 tools, particularly to those who need them most, and the fair allocation for COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX which should not be determined by where they live.

Panelists:

• Dr Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Health, Government of South Africa
• Dag-Inge Ulstein,  Minister of Development and Co-operation, Government of Norway
• Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO
• Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF
  

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