Canada should give surplus doses to poorer countries, say global vaccine alliance and WHO

The chair of the international alliancethat co-manages theCOVAXvaccine-sharing programis urging wealthy nations to donate surplus dosestodeveloping countries.

Canada this week doubled its direct cash commitment to COVAX to help buy COVID-19 vaccines for the global sharing programbut itisn't sending any doses, despite pleas from officials for help.

Former Portuguese prime ministerJos Manuel Barrosois the chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which co-leads COVAX. He told guest host David CommononCBC News Network's Power & Politicsthatwhile he understands governmentswere focused on protecting their own citizens when the pandemic began, they have a larger responsibility to the world now.

"What we are now doing is asking those who have surplus doses to share them as well, because there is a fundamental injustice here," Barroso said.

The World Health Organization's technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, is also urgingCanada to donate doses to the COVAX scheme.

"We really need doses to be shared through the COVAX mechanism," she told Power & Politics."It is time for countries to donate the available doses that they can."

Barroso did express gratitude for Canada's support forCOVAX to date. Hesaid "each government, of course, has the right to define" when they believe they haveasurplus "but we believe the sooner the better."

COVAX falls behind on pledge to deliver 2 billion vaccines

Barrosoacknowledged COVAX is runningbehind on its timeline for delivering vaccines to developing countries something he attributed to the dire state of the pandemicin India and alack of shipments from that country's Serum Institute,COVAX'slargest single supplier.

Barroso said he believes COVAX can catch up if wealthy countries donate theirsurplus doses.

U.S.President Joe Biden today announced the U.S. would donate 19 million COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX, with millions more to follow.

Along with pledges from the EU and other nations, the U.S. donation"makes the total amount of doses to be shared through COVAX 132 million," Barroso said.

He estimated that the "acute phase of the pandemic can be controlled" by 2022 but warnedthere's also a strong risk of the pandemic becoming something"endemic" the world would have to live withfor many years.

Van Kerkhoveagreed, sayingthat the pace of vaccination around the world will decide the fate of efforts to slow the virus's spread.

"The inequitable distribution of vaccines is really still quite grotesque," she said.

WHO COVID-19 technical lead warns pandemic is far from over

3 years ago

Duration 7:54

Speaking with the CBC's Power & Politics, WHO COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove says the pandemic is still raging in most parts of the world and that vaccine distribution has yet to reach equitable levels.

"People say no one is safe until everyone is safe," said Barroso. "This is not a slogan, because the more time the virus will be circulating, the more probable there will be mutations and also possible new variants that are more transmissible and more dangerous.

"It's in the interest also of the developed world to help the others. Not only as a fundamental question of justice and ethics, but also in our own interest, if we want to get rid of this terrible pandemic."