Unequal distribution of coronavirus vaccine to cost $4 trillion globally: Health minister
ahr, Thursday 4 Mar 2021
'It's in the economic interest of developed countries to ensure that vaccines are distributed equitably in developing countries,' said Egypt's Minister of Health Hala Zayed


Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed highlighted on Wednesday the effects of unequal distribution of the coronavirus vaccines on the global economic situation with a global economic cost of about $4 trillion, a cabinet statement said on Wednesday.

The minister stressed that the economic cost of leaving people in the developing countries unvaccinated is about $9 trillion.

Zayed said in the meeting that global studies conducted on the impact of disproportionate distribution of vaccine "have proven that if rich countries have fully vaccinated their people by the middle of this year, while during the same time period, developing countries only vaccinated half of their population, this will cost about $4 trillion globally.”

“It’s in the economic interest of developed countries to ensure that vaccines are distributed equitably in developing countries,” added the minister.

The minister discussed a study on equipment and infrastructure in African countries to address the coronavirus pandemic.

She also discussed Egypt's “tangible” progress in containing the coronavirus in terms securing adeqaute numbers of intensive care beds and ventilators.

The meeting reviewed efforts to confront the coronavirus, the position of the global spread of the pandemic, and the provision of vaccines from various companies.

Zayed spoke about the efforts of the national campaign to vaccinate children against the Poliovirus, which was launched by the ministry between 28 February and 3 March.

The ministry is scheduled to launch another campaign against the Poliovirus in a month, she added.

The campaign comes as part of the polio vaccination campaigns launched annually by the ministry to keep the country free from disease, which comes within the framework of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s vision to develop the public health of citizens.

The minister indicated that Egypt has an effective routine vaccination system and a surveillance system for polio viruses. This, the minister said, enabled the country to eradicate the Poliovirus in 2004.

Egypt was declared free of the disease in 2006 by the World Health Organisation.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/405284.aspx