BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Gutierrez, has raised concerns over the move by developed countries to gobble up large amounts of various COVID-19 Vaccines and not allowing smaller nations to purchase same.
In a speech recognising the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic, Gutierrez emphasised that the United Nations would continue to mobilise the international community to make vaccines affordable and available for all.
Large countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, those in the European Union and Canada have all purchased large amounts of the vaccines, pushing smaller developing nations to the back of the line, with vaccine manufacturers informing that the earliest that they could receive doses for which they already paid would be sometime later in the year.
In his speech, Gutierrez noted that the UN would work to ensure that access to the vaccine is made available so that people in the developing nations could recover better, with a special focus being placed on the needs of those who have borne the burden of the crisis, those being “women, minorities, older persons, persons with disabilities, refugees, migrants and indigenous peoples”.
The Caribbean region, more specifically CARICOM, has found difficulties in accessing the vaccine, as CARICOM Chairman, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley had noted they were told that the vaccine could only be accessed during the latter part of the year.
It was the generosity of the Government of India, through its developing bilateral relations with the region, that 575,000 of the AstraZeneca Vaccine were presented to the region, with St. Kitts and Nevis receiving 20,000 doses and many of the islands have begun sharing with each other to ensure that inoculation begins.
The UN SG noted that with the start of vaccine roll-out, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
The United Nations has been playing its part by ensuring smaller nations have access to the vaccine through the COVAX facility - the global vaccine equity mechanism - which has already started delivery across the world.
“Yet I am deeply concerned that many low-income countries have not yet received a single dose, while wealthier countries are on track to vaccinating their entire population. We see many examples of vaccine nationalism and vaccine hoarding in wealthier countries - as well as continued side deals with manufacturers that undermine access for all,” exclaimed Gutierrez.
Under the COVAX agreement, St. Kitts and Nevis is expected to, in the first instance, receive 21,600 doses of vaccines from AstraZeneca; but despite a letter that promised the arrival of the vaccines last month, member territories in the region were still awaiting the various shipments.
It is however understood that there are a number of bureaucratic issues that are holding up the arrival of the shipments to the region.
“COVID-19 Vaccines must be seen as a global public good. The world needs to unite to produce and distribute sufficient vaccines for all, which means at least doubling manufacturing capacity around the world,” the SG declared.
