The global losses due to Corona are enormous, at a time when the epidemic has not receded, in any way. Not surprisingly, there has been a lot of interest in developing a vaccine with over 100 research projects worldwide. Many of them seem promising, and one or more fruits may pay off, perhaps faster than it usually takes time to find a vaccine.

But even if one or more vaccines are reached, which makes people less likely to get COFED-19, public health problems will not be eliminated. As any medical expert asserts, vaccines are not a panacea, they are only a tool in the medical arsenal, and it cannot be expected that the vaccine will produce complete or permanent immunity in all who take it.

In return, millions will not be vaccinated. There is a harsh truth that there are about eight billion men, women and children on this planet, and it may require manufacturing eight billion doses, or times that, if more than one dose per person is needed. The distribution of the vaccine around the world takes years, not months. These are all matters of scientific research, manufacturing and logistics, and they will certainly be difficult. But politics will be at least as challenging.

The question is: Who will pay for any vaccine?

Companies expect to recover their R&D investments, along with production and distribution costs. And it's about tens of billions of dollars, and perhaps much more, even before the issue of profit is raised. However, the most difficult political question of all, is likely to relate to access to the vaccine. Who should receive the initial doses of any vaccine? Who determines who is allowed to enter the waiting list and in what order? What are the special benefits for a country where a vaccine is being developed? And to what extent will the poor countries crowd their rich counterparts?

Prioritization

At the national level, every government should start thinking about how to distribute the vaccines it produces or receives. One idea of ​​vaccine management is to first give it to health care workers, followed by the police, firefighters, army, teachers, and other key personnel.

Governments must also prioritize, and those who are at greater risk of developing serious complications from Covid-19, such as the elderly and those with health problems, already exist. Should the vaccine be free for some or all?

At the international level, the questions seem more complex. We also need to ensure that production can increase rapidly, establish rules for the availability of treatment, and that adequate funds are pledged to cover the poorest countries. In this context, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the World Health Organization, several governments, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have formed the Kovacs Facility, which provides access to the countries of the world to the Corona vaccine.

Those in charge of this project suggest that any effective vaccine that appears, in the future, be treated as a "global public good", to be distributed equally throughout the world, regardless of where it was invented, or the state's ability to pay. The World Health Organization has introduced a global distribution framework, which seeks to ensure priority for the most vulnerable populations and health care workers.

Richard Haass: Director of the Council on Foreign Relations and former official of the US State Department.

Vaccines are not a panacea, they are only a tool in the medical arsenal, and it cannot be expected that the vaccine will produce full or permanent immunity in all who take it.

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