Coalition of International NGOs Call for Equitable Access for Vaccines and Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic

Around the world, governments are struggling to find ways to work together and control the spread of COVID-19. The virus does not recognize national boundaries. Rather, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing health disparities between and within countries born from social, economic, and political inequity. This crisis has challenged the global resilience of our health and long-term care systems and workforce. The World Health Organization released a call to action through their ‘Vaccine Equity Declaration’, which implores leaders to prioritize vaccine equity.  Many organizations have taken important steps to spread awareness about COVID-19 vaccine equity and mobilize their members to respond. This is not enough. To move forward, there must be a greater global effort to foster collaboration between cross-national organizations and innovate solutions that leave no one behind.

On February 11, 2021, the World Federation of Public Health Associations hosted a historic meeting to initiate a coalition amongst leaders from international NGOs who share a common interest in equitable access for vaccines and treatment during COVID-19.

The organizations agreed to work together to build and sustain equity in global public health through increased advocacy for social protection and social development in vulnerable communities. Moreover, leaders expressed the need for an environmentally conscious and safe way to develop, distribute, and deliver vaccines, as this will also help reduce inequity following the pandemic by ensuring we do not exacerbate adverse climate effects. The Coalition is committed to engaging with other organizations, governments, and key stakeholders to achieve a coordinated response to the pandemic. The organizations will dedicate themselves to continue compiling resources, sharing evidence-based best practices, and using their collective voice to advocate for those who are disproportionately harmed by the pandemic, including chronically ill patients, individuals lacking access to health care services and medication, and marginalized communities.

Therefore, together we call on the World Health Assembly, the G20, every government, and all organizations that engage in public health, social policy, and advocacy to make the ethical choice now for the health and the economic well-being of all populations globally, especially the most vulnerable — leaving no one behind.

We call on all of these actors to work together to:

• Guarantee more and equitable access to vaccines
• Increase the health care, public health, and social protection workforce
• Challenge uncoordinated social, economic, and health system dynamics to maximize vaccine production, distribution, and uptake
• Address the national and international spending priorities during the pandemic
• Guarantee an environmentally and economically sustainable and equitable production and distribution of the vaccines
• Engage all groups in society, including youth and young professionals, key stakeholders, and health professionals in the decision-making process and implementation
• Engage with civil societies, patient organizations, and the broader public across diverse communities to address communication, including risk communication, tackling misinformation and combatting hesitancy, on every level

Overall, we believe that this growing Coalition has immense potential to strengthen our individual and collective responses to inequity, which like the virus itself, works beyond national borders both during the pandemic and in the years of recovery to follow. We are keen to begin this important work, and we look forward to contributing to and sharing our joint initiatives across our extensive networks.

Call to Governments to Support the TRIPS Waiver Proposal to End the COVID-19 Pandemic

The time is now to stop vaccine nationalism, private profiteering, and stand in solidarity with the world for health equity and human rights.

WFPHA joins the urgent call to governments, overwhelmingly in rich countries, to join the world in supporting the TRIPS waiver proposal to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and other medical tools. The proposal calls for the temporary suspension of the patent system for Covid-19 products until worldwide immunity is achieved.

Logistics and Distribution: Getting Shots into Arms

2020 will be remembered as one of the most significant and devastating years in humanity’s history. The success story, amid all the chaos and suffering, was the unprecedented speed at which several vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were developed, tested and approved for use. But that is just the first step in restoring normality. Scaling up output from manufacturers to meet overwhelming demand in a mostly immunologically naïve planet of nearly 8 billion people, has already proven to be a far greater challenge than many anticipated. And even with sufficient supply, further major hurdles exist in the form of logistics, transport, storage and distribution.

Businesses often refer to ‘last-mile delivery’, the final step in getting product to consumer, as the most complex aspect of an entire supply chain. Given cold-chain requirements and relatively short shelf-lives of some of the COVID-19 vaccines in particular, this task becomes increasingly difficult. Add in to the mix political pressures, a need for digital systems to track doses and recipients, commissioning of dedicated vaccination centres, distribution to remote communities without reliable electricity, viral mutations threatening vaccine efficacy, and even vaccinators getting shot at by rural tribes with bows and arrows. What’s more, virtually every nation on Earth is trying to achieve widespread immunization of their population as rapidly as possible, at the exact same time.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore outlined in January 2021 the gauntlet that lay ahead: “Last year we saw truly unique human ingenuity to successfully develop effective and safe vaccines in record time. This year, we turn to the biggest logistical challenge the world has ever seen. And we need all hands on deck.”1

Operation Vaccination: An Analysis of Global COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Strategies is a weekly post which will explore the policy, logistics, obstacles and controversies involved in procuring and distributing vaccines against COVID-19.

The theme of this week is “Logistics and Distribution: Getting Shots into Arms“.

If you have any feedback or specific questions you would like answered, please feel free to contact us.

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Tobacco Control Policies Matter: Global Evidence from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project 

In the latest episode of Tobacco Control Talks, Dr. Geoffrey T. Fong, Founder and Principal Investigator of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (the ITC Project), provided an overview of the ITC Project and presented key findings from over 15 years of tobacco control policy evaluation research conducted in 29 countries.

The talk presented findings from high- and low-middle-income countries to illustrate the population impact of strong vs. weak implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Dr. Fong highlighted the importance of ITC evidence in overcoming industry challenges to stronger tobacco control policies and how the ITC Project has evolved in response to pressing policy challenges in today’s rapidly shifting nicotine marketplace.

Click on the link below to watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

This episode of the #TobaccoControlTalks was co-chaired by Dr Florian Stigler of the WFPHA Tobacco Control Working Group and Ms Hanin Odeh of the World Heart Federation.

Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccination

The COVID-19 vaccines bring the promise of a global rescue from the coronavirus pandemic; however, building people’s confidence in these new vaccines seems to be a herculean task.

Myths and misinformation are arising online through social media. Due to the high demand for information and a short supply of credible sources, people may tend to fill the void with misinformation and conspiracy theories. However, vaccine hesitancy cannot be simplified as exposure to misinformation only. Boosting confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines requires a multilevel approach through working with policy makers, health workers, the public health workforce, media, and governments, among other key stakeholders.

Professors Ethel Maciel, Julie Leask and Anna Odone discussed myths and misinformation surrounding COVID-19, as well as the best approaches and leverages to build confidence in vaccination. This webinar, chaired by Dr Michael Moore and Dr Marta Lomazzi, discussed facts versus misconceptions and disinformation and provided health professionals with the skills and tools to counter those false myths, perform effective advocacy with policy makers, and sustain people and community engagement.

This webinar is available to view by clicking on the link below.

This event is supported by WFPHA, University of Geneva, and Pfizer.

Communication and Trust: Keeping the Public Informed and On Board

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is a monumental challenge across multiple domains for any country. One major aspect that governments must consider ensuring is clear communication and maintaining the trust of their populations. In fact, two of the key issues in this regard are almost mirror images of each other.

Firstly, vaccine hesitancy has gained momentum globally in recent years, helped by misinformation that is often spread online. Now more than ever, it is paramount that people believe in the science rather than the myths about vaccines. Politicians and health experts need to convince the public of the safety and efficacy demonstrated in clinical trials, to minimize the number of people who refuse to get vaccinated.

Secondly, we know that incredibly high demand for COVID-19 vaccines will far exceed supply for the time being. Large swathes of populations will be waiting months or years before they are immunized. National leaders have drawn up prioritisation strategies so that those who need it most are at the front of the queue (mostly comprising the elderly, medically vulnerable, and healthcare workers). The unenviable task here is informing each group of society when they are due their dose of the vaccine, and coherently justifying this decision.

Operation Vaccination: An Analysis of Global COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Strategies is a weekly post which will explore the policy, logistics, obstacles and controversies involved in procuring and distributing vaccines against COVID-19.

The theme of this week is “Communication and Trust: Keeping the Public Informed and On Board”.

Focusing on the 9 countries featured in this blog (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Nigeria, Taiwan, UK, US) and COVAX, communication strategies are analysed, focusing on mitigating vaccine hesitancy and explanations of the structure and timing of immunization drives. Other areas discussed include conspiracy theories, concerns over vaccines being rushed through the approval process, the use of social media influencers, potential breaches of patient privacy, allegations of skipping the queue, a previous vaccine programme derailed by misinformation, and crucially, how to keep the public’s faith when things inevitably go wrong.

If you have any feedback or specific questions you would like answered, please feel free to contact us.

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Taiwan