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OPINION JANUARY 08, 2021 | The Indian Eye 15

low-income countries. Moreover, ensuring equitable access to
high-income countries restricted COVID-19 tests, treatments,
the export of vaccines by their and vaccines. India is also part
domestic vaccine manufacturers of the vaccine pillar of the ACT
until domestic needs had been Accelerator, COVAX. This ini-
met. As a result, even govern- tiative aims to ensure rapid and
ments and international institu- equitable access to COVID-19
tions which entered into advance vaccines for all countries, regard-
purchase agreements, faced less of income level. ACT-Accel-
vaccine requisition problems. erator targets a funding of $38
Unlike 2009, this time around, billion to achieve this goal; how-
rising geopolitical tensions be- ever, as of December 2020, it
tween the US and China has now could mobilize only $15 billion.
extended to the vaccine race as India should use its leverage
well. The Covid-19 hacking alle- Foreign envoys take a tour of Bharat Biotech facility where coViD19 Vac- as the world’s largest vaccine pro-
gations that made headlines ear- cine covaxin is being developed, in hyderabad on wednesday. (aNi photo) ducer to promote international
lier illustrate how the global race cooperation and multilateral
to find a vaccine heightened the policy coordination in the equi-
tensions between the big pow- table distribution of COVID-19
ers.9 Export bans and stockpil- vaccines. The collaboration be-
ing of life-saving medicines such tween SII, Gavi and the Bill &
as Remdesivir and a global rush Melinda Gates Foundation is
for Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) one such move. It seeks to en-
during the peak of the pandemic sure the availability of up to 100
are other examples of a ‘nation million doses of AstraZeneca
first’ approach that negatively vaccines to low- and middle-in-
impacted global public health. come economies at just $3 per
While it makes sense for gov- dose. India should ensure that
ernments to priorities the health at least 50 per cent of doses pro-
of their citizens, a multilateral duced in the country are given to
cooperative effort to vaccinate the COVAX Facility.
vulnerable people globally on a India, along with South Afri-
priority basis, is in every nations’ countries like india have a challenge of cold chain and refrigeration facilities ca, has also called for the World
self-interest. For instance, nearly Trade Organization (WTO) to
16 billion doses will be needed to of cooperative and non-cooper- As soon as the WHO declared suspend intellectual proper-
vaccinate all 7.8 billion people ative strategies of Covid-19 vac- COVID-19 as a pandemic in ty rights related to COVID-19
globally. As per the Coalition cine allocation, suggests that “if March 2020, India organized treatment to ensure equitable
for Epidemic Preparedness In- the 80 per cent efficacious vac- a virtual meeting of SAARC access to vaccines. It should also
novations (CEPI) estimates, the cines were distributed equitably countries to coordinate regional use its influence as a non-perma-
global capacity of manufacturing based on the population size preparations. nent member of the UN Security
COVID-19 vaccines is between of each country, 61 per cent of India has also actively partic- Council (with its two-year term
two to four billion by the end of deaths could be prevented”. If ipated in many regional and in- beginning in January 2021) and
2021. The world’s largest vaccine high-income countries were al- ternational efforts to coordinate as the WHO Executive Board’s
maker, Serum Institute in India lowed to stockpile vaccines, the the response to the pandemic, Chair to enlighten other nations
(SII), predicts that there will not percentage of deaths that could including at the meetings of the about the perils of politically mo-
be enough doses for everyone in be averted reduces by half. Indo-Pacific and G-20 countries tivated vaccine nationalism and
the world, until the end of 2024, Ensuring vaccines for all will and the BRICS Ministers’ con- the benefits of vaccine multilat-
at the earliest. In such a situa- be an acid test for the interna- ference. Besides, India has also eralism.
tion, even if high-income coun- tional community in the fight co-sponsored a UN resolution Rajeesh Kumar is Associate
tries could vaccinate their entire against COVID-19, particularly that has called for fair and eq- Fellow at Manohar Parrikar
populations, it will not end the if the major powers show ap- uitable access to essential medi- Institute for Defense Studies and
spread of coronavirus or miti- athy and antagonism towards cal supplies and future vaccines Analyses, New Delhi
gate its socio-economic disaster. multilateral institutions such as to COVID-19. In the wake of
Vaccine multilateralism can the World Health Organization the pandemic, its efforts to ex- Views expressed are of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the
prevent the spread of the coro- (WHO). India could play a vi- port HCQ to affected countries views of the Manohar Parrikar
navirus. It would bring incen- tal role in ensuring multilateral worldwide were praised by the IDSA or of the Govt. of India.
tives for both the national and cooperation for equitable distri- international community.
global economies. The immu- bution of vaccines. Throughout India is a member of the Ac- This article first appeared in the
nization of vulnerable groups the pandemic, India has been cess to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Comments section of the website
can avoid further loss of lives. advocating international coop- Accelerator, a WHO collabo- of Manohar Parrikar Institute
Recent research by Gavi, the eration and policy coordination rative effort to accelerate the for Defense Studies and Analyses
vaccine alliance, on the effects in fighting against COVID-19. development, production, and (www.idsa.in) on January 4, 2021

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