Mayor Claudia López joined the global coalition of the World Health Organization by signing the WHO Declaration of Vaccine Equity. The objective of which is to accelerate vaccine production and distribution chain. On top of that, to accelerate the development and production of tests, treatments and vaccines against COVID-19, as well as to guarantee equal access to them.
In January 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the #VaccinEquity campaign, a call to overcome the gaps that prevent universal access to the vaccine. According to WHO data, 87% of the doses are concentrated in rich countries, where one in four people has received the vaccine; while in poor countries the proportion is one vaccine for every 500 people.
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Inequality in access to vaccines between nations is an obstacle to global recovery, so the WHO is co-leading the COVAX mechanism together with the Global Vaccination Alliance-GAVI and the Coalition for Innovations in Preparation for Epidemics- CEPI. With highly contagious new variants of the virus spreading rapidly through low- and middle-income countries, and healthcare workers struggling with fewer and fewer resources to provide care during the multiple waves and peaks of contagion, the importance of the COVAX mechanism is growing. As stated by the Director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom: “Countries must urgently make vaccine technologies and doses available, multiply their production capacity and ensure that the supply of vaccines is sustainable and allows everyone to be immunized. people everywhere. No one is safe until all of us are safe.”
In recent days the Mayor also joined the declaration of Vaccine Equity of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, along with more than 35 mayors, among which the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti; the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo; the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau; the Mayor of Medellín Daniel Quintero and the Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina.
In addition to joining these global initiatives, the Mayor has also proposed in various international settings, such as in a weekly WHO press conference, the idea that a vaccine production plant be installed in Bogotá. “We present to four countries and three pharmaceutical companies a formal proposal to install the capacity to produce vaccines in Bogotá. We did it to the British government and AstraZeneca; the Russian, which produces Sputnik V; the Chinese, which produces Sinovac, and the North American, which Johnson & Johnson produces.” said López.
To join the WHO Vaccine Equity Declaration, the Mayor filled out the official document sent by the Organization that certifies adherence to said declaration, in which it is mainly requested:
• World leaders to increase contributions to the COVAX facility.
• For Vaccine manufacturers to share know-how with C-TAP to scale up vaccine manufacturing and dramatically increase the global supply of vaccines for the coming years.
• That world leaders prioritize supplying to COVAX over new bilateral deals.
• Regulatory bodies to accelerate approval processes in a safe and deliberate way. • All governments ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are distributed free of charge, starting with health workers and those people at greatest risk of COVID-19.
• To prioritize affected communities and the voices of essential workers in decision-making and ensure gender equality is central to all actions.
