To date, at least 107 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered by 78 countries worldwide according to our Data World, an online nonprofit scientific publication based at Oxford University. Of these doses, more than half were administered in the United States (34 million), the European Union (14 million) and the United Kingdom (10 million).
Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic last year, world leaders and health experts, including the WHO, have called for equitable access to tests, treatments and vaccines. As new vaccines are approved and prescribed, questions continue to be raised about how millions of vaccines are being sent to all parts of the world.
What vaccines are available?
There are currently several vaccines being given around the world and more are on the way. According to Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela, former chairman of the United Nations-backed Gavi vaccine alliance, this is the first time that many of these vaccines have been developed in such a short time.
These vaccines differ in their treatment methods, efficacy, dose requirements and storage temperature.
Despite reporting a maximum efficacy level of 95 percent, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires a storage temperature of -70C, making circulation more difficult.
In contrast, vaccines developed by AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech Covaxin and Sinovac only require simple cooling devices, which makes it much easier to regulate circulation on a large scale.
Vaccination policies
In most countries, the first to be admitted have been frontline workers, and then those with severe chronic diseases and the elderly. In countries such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates, major immunization campaigns are currently underway.
Indonesia, on the other hand, began its vaccination campaign by protecting young people first, including health care and public service workers, rather than the elderly.
Canada is implementing a policy to vaccinate the priority groups first, key workers and then the general public.
In the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, said the U.S. would hope to start vaccinating children by mid-2021. Tests are underway for children as young as 12. Explained Dr. Fauci if these tests were successful, another series of tests would be followed for children up to nine years of age.
COVAX global vaccination campaign
COVAX, a global initiative led by Gavi, the Consortium for Epidemic Preparation Innovation (CEPI) and the WHO, aims to provide global access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.
With the COVAX agreement, 92 countries will receive up to 190 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Gavi is targeting vaccines in 20 percent of middle-income countries that cannot afford large quantities of vaccines. The group predicts that at least 1.3 million doses will be available by 92 countries by the end of 2021.
The list of 92 countries and economies eligible for Gavi COVAX AMC, based on 2018 and 2019 World Bank GNI data, is below:
Low income: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, North Korea, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania and Yemen.
Low-middle income: Angola, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, eSwatini, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya , Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Mauritania, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Additional IDA (international development association) eligible: Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Kosovo, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Samoa, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga, Tuvalu.
In addition to COVAX, there are other methods built by CDC Africa to obtain 270 million doses and 400 million doses, respectively.