The coronavirus epidemic has proved to be devastating to the whole world. But in such a short time we are making two billion doses of the corona vaccine and this is a milestone in the fight to prevent infection.
The good news is that by the end of this year an estimated 5.8 billion adults around the world will have a vaccine dose available to immunize.
The bad news is that vaccine production is geographically centralized. Also, some countries are collecting it.
In such a situation, the idea of reaching the vaccine to everyone has suffered a setback. Let us have a look at some of the factors affecting the availability of vaccine in the world-
According to the Dukes Global Health Innovation Center (GHIC), more than 12 billion doses could be produced this year.
According to estimates by Airfinity, an analytics firm that monitors vaccine production and supply, more than 11.1 billion vaccine doses may be produced in the year 2021.
According to Airfinity, 10.82 billion doses would be enough to vaccinate 75% of the global population aged five years and older.
Andrea Taylor, assistant director of the Dukes Global Health Innovation Center, told the BBC, "The pandemic has shown that vaccine production is not being done equally across the world."
The place of production of the vaccine matters a lot. Most of the vaccine is being produced in America and Europe. These countries are getting the vaccine dose first because the vaccine is being produced there.
These countries are using methods such as banning exports to ensure that their citizens get the vaccine before the global market.
supply chain challenges
Another major challenge in vaccine production is the supply chain. From the supply of raw materials for vaccines to technology and expertise, the supply network between countries is not in good shape. As a result,
In many places where new doses were to be made, production has come to a standstill.
These bottlenecks are affecting vaccine production in many ways. According to Affinity estimates, three vaccines will continue to dominate global supply this year - Pfizer/BioNtech (2.47 billion doses), Oxford/AstraZeneca (1.96 billion doses), and Sinovac (1.35 billion doses).
So far, Pfizer and Sinovac have been able to meet their initial production targets. However, AstraZeneca Vaccines planned to make 3 billion doses of the vaccine this year.
To meet this goal, the company was dependent on partners producing the vaccine at different places. It also requires the transfer of technology and expertise to make vaccines.
Taylor says, "AstraZeneca has taken a long time to resolve these issues. I think the same is happening with global partners and other companies looking to increase production on the transfer of technology. There is a delay in the production of the vaccine in this entire process. In contrast, Pfizer and Sinovac are producing on their own.
collection of vaccines
Another important factor affecting the distribution of vaccines in the world is the ban on the export of vaccines. Airfinity Senior Analyst Matt Linley told the BBC, "These problems have increased the risk of infection in developing countries.
Pfizer is making the largest number of vaccine doses, but these vaccines are reaching the rich countries that are buying them. AstraZeneca is being produced in Europe and India and its distribution is also limited there.
According to Airfinity, only China is producing the vaccine on a large scale and has so far sent 263 million doses abroad. China has delivered more vaccines to other countries than Covax, the United Nations' vaccine distribution plan.
Certainly, China dominates in terms of vaccine distribution. Linley says that Russia has made many promises but has not been able to do anything concrete.
no emergency plan
According to Airfinity, 42 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V have been produced till May 17, out of which 13 million doses have been exported. There are also problems with technology transfer with the Sputnik V vaccine. Russia initially had an agreement with 18 production centers globally, but Sputnik V is being produced outside Russia only in Kazakhstan.
Production of Sputnik V in India has also been announced in August. Its production target is 85 crore doses.
Most developing countries are looking forward to the AstraZeneca vaccine being made at the Serum Institute in India. The Serum Institute produces 60 percent of the world's vaccines every year, except for pandemics. But when the deadly wave of Covid-19 hit India this year, the export of the vaccine was banned. As a result, the supply of vaccines to poor countries stopped.
Taylor says that global supply has been badly affected due to over-dependence on India. She says, "The second wave of corona in India has left all plans on hold and there is no alternative to it. There is no other serum institute in the world that can take its place in the hour of crisis. Because of this, the UN initiative for the balanced distribution of vaccines in poor countries and around the world has also been affected.
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