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The COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility was established at the beginning of the pandemic to support a more equitable distribution of vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. Singapore was an early supporter of COVAX and co-chaired an informal Friends of COVAX Facility initiative with Switzerland to promote vaccine multilateralism.
However, these efforts have been undermined by vaccine nationalism in high-income countries, which have secured excess vaccine doses at prices far beyond the reach of low- and middle-income countries, while delays in access have led to unnecessary excessive suffering and death.
Nonetheless, COVAX’s new global mechanism for donating vaccine doses exists, and the vaccine alliance Gavi has the necessary expertise and experience. Gavi has already committed to mobilizing and delivering MPOX vaccine doses to Africa.
The current mpox emergency the world is experiencing can be seen as a failure to “reach the last mile” during previous mpox emergencies.
After all, while cases of the milder type 2 MPOX declined globally (including in most African countries) and the PHEIC was lifted in May 2023, the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was different. MPOX cases remained high and rose sharply starting in September 2023, mainly due to type 1b viruses.
The issues of national sovereignty and global health security are complex, but every time an epidemic breaks out, the urgency for countries to work together to maintain health becomes more prominent.
In June, the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the WHO, strengthened the International Health Regulations for global preparedness and public health emergency response. But a strong global pandemic agreement is still needed, but unfortunately, this has been delayed until 2025.
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