An equitable approach is necessary to win a war against the global COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

There seems to be no end to the current COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Nov. 25, 2020, there were 58,900,547 confirmed cases globally of COVID-19, including 1,393,305 deaths. Many pharmaceutical companies worldwide have been developing treatments; however, there is currently no cure for COVID-19, although there are a limited number of medications which treat the symptoms. Under these circumstances, attention has been focused on COVID-19 vaccines. Many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies globally are actively developing COVID-19 vaccines. According to WHO, 48 vaccine candidates are undergoing clinical studies, while 164 are in pre-clinical studies stages. To date, no vaccine has been approved by any regulatory body. Wealthy nations, such as the U.S., U.K., and EU, have rushed to pre-purchase COVID-19 vaccines, which WHO criticized as “vaccine nationalism.” An international NGO/NPO working to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines has set up a scheme for fair allocation. Some leading countries expressed their commitment to this program; however, some large vaccine-producing nations, such as the U.S., China, and Russia, have not. This article first presents an overview of the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, including treatment and vaccine development, then discusses possible implementation of an international effort to secure equitable allocation of COVID-19 vaccines once they are available.