{"id":161712,"date":"2020-05-08T13:21:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T13:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/us\/why-access-to-vaccinations-is-key-to-end-this-crisis\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T19:23:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T19:23:36","slug":"vaccine-access-crucial-covid19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/us\/stories\/vaccine-access-crucial-covid19\/","title":{"rendered":"Why access to vaccinations is key to end this crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developing a vaccine is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, and there are currently almost 100 COVID vaccine candidates under development.<\/p>\n

During a recent press briefing, Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance<\/a>, explained that “in an extraordinary time like this is the world coming to fully appreciate the need for vaccines … people understand more why it’s so important.”<\/p>\n

“If we want to end this pandemic, minimise the loss of life, and return to some semblance of normality … we need vaccines.”<\/p>\n

But there is a major risk that once a vaccine becomes available, it will be too expensive or not well suited for low-resource settings. Historically, when a new drug or vaccine is produced, it is first available to those able to afford it.<\/p>\n

We cannot afford for this to happen.<\/p>\n

“It’s critically important that we have … a vaccine as an exit strategy from the level of crisis we are facing today. It’s equally important that that level of vaccine be available equitably and equally everywhere,” explains ONE CEO Gayle Smith. “That’s a matter of what is just and right, but the fact is it’s also very good science.”<\/p>\n

Key facts on vaccine access<\/h3>\n

This inherent imbalance between need and purchasing power for vaccines is further exacerbated during a crisis. But we cannot afford to leave the most vulnerable behind<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are a few key things to know about inequities in vaccine access:<\/p>\n