CARICOM calls for global summit on equitable vaccine access and distribution

Jan 15, 2021 News

The CARICOM Headquarters in Guyana.

Kaieteur News – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is calling for a global summit on equitable access and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines necessary to help countries recover from the current pandemic.
In a statement issued this week, CARICOM expressed deep concern at the current prospect of inequitable vaccines. It stated that, “The reality is that small states will find it difficult to compete in the market place to ensure equitable access for vaccines. Given the transmissibility of the virus, all countries are vulnerable and should work together.”
Therefore, they stated that the summit should be conducted including the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Facilitation Council. The ACT that was launched by the WHO has been supporting global efforts to provide tools to fight the disease since April.
CARICOM said that the unavoidable link between the CARICOM countries whether economically, socially, and by travel within the region and internationally makes it important for them to be afforded access to vaccines and it is a matter of urgent priority. It was stated that vaccine access for the community would be mutually beneficial as it would bolster breaking the transmission of the virus.
In light of such, CARICOM lamented that the community will explore all available options to access vaccines to protect the population in each member country from the harms of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, CARICOM’s former Chair and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, had urged the region to rely on the current protocols in place to fight against the pandemic while CARICOM prioritises obtaining the resources to get more vaccines.
His statement came after human rights organizations started advocating for equitable vaccine access and called out Northern countries for hoarding the COVID-19 vaccines.
A doctor, from a group of global human rights organisations called the People’s Vaccine Alliance, Mohga Kamal Yanni said a few weeks ago that rich countries would have bought enough doses to vaccinate their population nearly three times over, whilst poor countries don’t have enough to immunize health workers and people at risk.
Dr. Gonsalves had noted that the region is looking to receive its share of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, which includes organizations like the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and GAVI – the Vaccine Alliance. The facility was created in April to ensure lower-income countries acquire vaccines for at least 20 percent of their population as well as help member countries find access to concessional financing.
Guyana too is one of the countries looking to access vaccines through the facility and the Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has estimated arrival of the first batch in the second quarter of this year.