On April 20, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Meeting held a sub-forum on "Bridging the 'Immunization Gap' and Sharing Health and Well-being", and Margaret Chan, Honorary Director-General of the Boao Forum for Asia, Honorary Director-General of the World Health Organization and President of the Boao Forum for Asia Global Health Forum, pointed out that the global pandemic caused by the new crown virus will not be the last pandemic, and hopes that weak and small countries can obtain more fairness in the world economic system. China is doing everything it can, but the window it has won has been squandered by some countries.
Margaret Chan, Advisory Committee of the Boao Forum for Asia, Honorary Director-General of the World Health Organization, and President of the Boao Forum for Asia Global Health Forum Conference
"In terms of vaccine coverage, the North-South divide is still very large. African countries have an average of 1 doctor per 3,000 people, and more than 1.6 billion people worldwide are in urgent need of their first vaccination, but only 10 million health workers provide them with related services at the same time, and the ratio of supply and demand is extremely large. "WHO Global Health Financing Ambassador and former British Prime Minister Boris Brown called on investment in vaccines to be the most beneficial and rewarding globally in the face of a more severe outbreak caused by Omicron. He noted that countries should share responsibilities and pressures, and that many developed countries had achieved widespread vaccination and needed to take on more responsibility.
WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Since the successful development of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Chinese government has provided more than 2 billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, transferred technology to 20 countries, and formed a vaccine production capacity of 1 billion doses overseas. Deng Boqing, deputy director of China's International Development Cooperation Agency, said: "The new crown is a mirror and a touchstone, in which the good and evil of human nature are fully displayed. China provides international aid from the advent of the vaccine, rather than hoarding it first and waiting until it is almost vaccinated, or even several times the size of the population. Blessed are shared by the bad, and we have done so and will continue to do so in the future. ”
Deng Boqing, Deputy Director of the China International Development Cooperation Agency
Deng Boqing pointed out that the accessibility problems brought about by different vaccine transportation and storage conditions and the gap in vaccination capacity in different countries are important factors that cause the "immunization gap", and he introduced China's experience. China has taken advantage of the role of a frontier province, sending medical workers and medical experts to guide countries to set up laboratories and conduct COVID-19 testing, gradually turning remote areas that were previously under-vaccinated into areas with the highest vaccination rates.
As the former Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan admitted that developed countries have helped a lot in narrowing the "immunization gap", but more help is needed. The needs of developing countries can sometimes be easily overlooked, and it is necessary to move away from the solidified thinking of ODA (official development assistance) and encourage developing countries to develop production capacity and build their own effective health care systems. Developed and developing countries need to work together to solve problems, not to blame each other.
"The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 will not be the last. I hope that small and weak countries will gain more fairness in the world economic system and make progress in fighting hunger and poverty. China is doing everything it can to protect its own people, but also to contribute as much as it can. "Margaret Chan pointed out that vigilance is needed in the face of a very cunning coronavirus, but the window period won by China has been wasted by some countries." That's all there is to it. I don't want to blame, but if I continue to say it, I will take a critical attitude towards some countries. I don't need to criticize, but to praise the scientific research teams in various countries, who have done a very remarkable job. ”
After more than two years of work related to COVID-19 vaccine assistance, Deng Boqing also pointed out an easily overlooked problem that has created an "immunization gap", that is, the willingness to vaccinate. He said that not everyone is willing to be vaccinated, and some countries have been "demonized" because of various reasons such as insufficient publicity and lack of science popularization, and many people are reluctant to vaccinate. Therefore, it is crucial for the whole society to popularize scientific knowledge and make vaccines accepted by more people.
"If there is another country that has not completely eliminated the epidemic, we cannot say that the world has lifted the alarm. Next, the Chinese government is willing to work with the whole society to solve the problems of this century. Deng Boqing said.
Source: Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Bai Bo
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