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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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