It is time that Britain began sharing its stores of Covid vaccine doses with other less developed countries, Wellcome Trust director Jeremy Farrar has warned.
The medical researcher spoke yesterday after Boris Johnson announced that more than half of the UK adult population had received their first injection, a development which the Prime Minister called a very good achievement. “We will continue,” he said.
Farrar also praised the performance – which was made within three months. “But now we have to start thinking outside our borders,” he said.
“The UK has access to an additional 100m vaccine doses. Almost enough to vaccinate every citizen twice. These doses will not be useful in the UK. It’s time to start sharing doses with those most in need worldwide.
“This is more than a question of ethics – it is scientifically and economically essential,” said Farrar. “If it is left unchecked in large parts of the world, there is a risk that the virus will spread to a point where our vaccines and treatments will no longer work – leaving us all exposed. Science has given us the exit strategy, but it will only work if its benefits reach the largest number of people in the world. ”
Farrar’s intervention came as Unicef announced that they are bringing together a consortium of faith groups, fundraisers, celebrities and businesses to deliver vaccines to 190 countries under the VaccinAid banner.
The UK committee for Unicef hopes to “harness the hope” created by the vaccination campaign to capture the spirit of fundraisers such as Captain Sir Tom Moore.
People who receive their vaccines across the UK will have the opportunity to donate or raise money, and the campaign is asking ordinary people, celebrities and companies to create ways to raise money through VaccinAid.org.
Supported by the campaign is the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leading rabbi and major imams as well as the NHS under the slogan “Give Shot the World”.
VaccinAid was created by Crowdfunder, the fundraising website that worked with Marcus Rashford on the Manchester United footballer’s campaign to end child poverty. Rob Love, founder of Crowdfunder, said they were inspired by the large number of people who received the vaccine who wanted to raise money for the global vaccination program.
“We want to get as many people involved as possible,” Love said. “We already know that people want to contribute, they come out of vaccination centers and ask how they can contribute. What we have seen in the last 12 months, with Captain Tom and Marcus Rashford, is that the whole world of charitable giving and fundraising has been completely turned on its head. People are not told what to do, they decide what they want to do themselves, so we try to bring that together. ”
VaccinAid is part of a global vaccine distribution under Covax, an alliance of world health organizations that purchase vaccines for low- and middle-income countries that do not have the facilities to negotiate with vaccine manufacturers directly.
The plan is to deliver 2bn vaccines this year. The first vaccines reached Ghana and Ivory Coast last month, with around 8m doses delivered so far. G7 leaders pledged a total of £ 5.3bn last month, with the British government providing £ 548m.
Unicef’s head of vaccination, Dr Robin Nandy, said it was vital to raise more money to help circulate the vaccine, especially in countries with poor infrastructure.
“In most low-income countries, there is no adult vaccination program to build on,” he said. “So if we don’t build facilities for the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines, countries are going to use facilities for childhood immunization programs.
“We don’t want that because the childhood vaccine suffers, and our measles and polio episodes run parallel to what we suffer from Covid-19.”
The distribution of the UK vaccine has been largely dependent on NHS supply networks, which are not present in many parts of the world, Nandy said. “So you almost have to start from scratch. Simple things can be a hurdle, like carrying the vaccine – some local organizations may not have the money to pay for fuel, and you have to remember that Covid vaccines have a very short shelf life. ”
When Covid ‘s differences emerge, people in Britain are interested in seeing the rest of the world vaccinated, as well as an altruistic one.
David Harewood, an Country The actor and ambassador for Unicef UK said he had seen for himself the “incredible distance” that Unicef staff had gone in distributing vaccines.
“In Sierra Leone I have seen them reach cold boxes on boats, in the most remote part of the country, to ensure that they reach the arms of even the most difficult communities to reach,” he said.
“The logical action of all that is amazing is still in place – but we can’t do it without the public’s support to fund this historic vaccination campaign. I truly believe that no one is safe until we are all safe, and one thing that I have learned from last year is to live through this pandemic that has power. kindness and fairness to do amazing things. ”
Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, who first brought together the faith groups working on this project, said he was “extremely pleased” that churches and other faith groups were supporting the campaign. Gemma Chan, the Surprise The actor and other Unicef UK ambassador said she was “extremely proud” to support him.