New website for vaccine information launched by WHO, WTO, IMF and World Bank

NEW DELHI: The World Bank Group, World Health Organisation (WHO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Trade Organisation (WTO), together launched a website as a COVID-19 vaccine information platform. The website has been designed to host data on access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, and the four international agencies’ activities to combat the pandemic.

The website displays data on the rates of vaccination and the purchase and deliveries of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. The data is broken down by country, region, and level of income. Additionally, a resources section will take the users to the information on activities and initiatives related to COVID-19 being led by the four international agencies. 

The heads of the four international agencies launched the website on July 30, which is an initiative of the Task Force on COVID-19 vaccines, Therapeutics, and Diagnostics for Developing Countries. The Task Force was set up to identify and resolve impediments to vaccine production and distribution.

A joint statement made during the launch by Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF; David Malpass, President, World Bank; Dr Tedros Adhanom, Director General, WHO; and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, WTO, said that the website is to reiterate the exigency of providing access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments to people throughout the world.

The heads of the four agencies mentioned the acute shortage in the supply of doses to low and low-middle income countries (LMICs). According to their statement, estimates say that fewer than 20 per cent of the necessary vaccines are scheduled for delivery to the LMICs at the moment through AVAT, COVAX, or other bilateral deals. Therefore, during the launch, the agencies called on governments to reduce or eliminate barriers to the export of vaccines and materials involved in their production and deployment. They asked manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines to really boost their efforts to increase the production of vaccines by keeping LMICs in mind.