Equitable Vaccine Distribution Key to Stopping COVID-19

What your doctor is reading on Medscape.com:

APRIL 26, 2020 — Without equitable access to a vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to rage, especially as it begins to hit less developed countries, say prominent public health experts on a panel convened April 25 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS).

“I do have a sense that we still as yet underestimate the true impact of what we face today and what we may face in the coming months and years,” said Jeremy Farrar, MD, PhD, director of the UK-based Wellcome Trust, in a video conference held in conjunction with the NAS annual meeting.

He noted that in the 120 days since the first knowledge of the novel coronavirus, it has spread to almost every country on earth.

“My biggest worries next are going to be what happens when this increasingly becomes an issue in central and South America, in Africa, and South Asia,” said Farrar.

“The United States is now the country that has suffered most — that does not mean there is not worse ahead, particularly in the southern hemisphere,” agreed Anthony Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Poor Nations Will Suffer More, Longer

People in marginalized populations in the current epicenters of North America and Europe “will continue to suffer longer.” It is inevitable that the impact of COVID-19 marginalized and vulnerable populations will be much larger in developing countries, Farrar added.

Conflict zones, refugee camps and migrant settlements will “prove to be hotbeds of this epidemic,” he said.

Social distancing and lockdowns are not going to bring about the end of the pandemic. Similarly, antivirals are not a solution, said Farrar.

“The track record of producing antiviral or immune-modulating drugs in acute viral infections has not been great,” he said. The fast-changing dynamics of immunity during a viral infection make it tricky to determine at what point to administer a therapy, he noted.

At some junctures, it might be desirable to increase the immune response, whereas during other times, it might be more important to suppress the response, said Farrar.