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Comparing the Impact of the COVAX Initiative on COVID?19 Vaccination Rates in Low? and Lower?Middle Income Countries
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Research Question: Will the global initiative COVAX improve access to COVID?19 vaccinations for populations in lower?income countries in comparison to lower?middle income countries across three WHO regional divisions?
Background and Significance: As new and modified vaccines have been made available to the world in the past several decades, global health experts have continued to explore methods of vaccine distribution in lower?middle and low?income countries. Global partnerships and plans have become more common, especially with the inauguration of the WHO¿s first decade plan, Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS), in 2006. Since this policy, the WHO has introduced the GVAP from 2012?2020 as well as the recent COVAX initiative, which operates as part of the ACT Accelerator, a global response to the COVID?19 pandemic, for the distribution of COVID?19 vaccines. This study seeks to evaluate and compare the effectiveness, methods, and impact of the COVAX vaccine plan to aid in the implementation of new immunization policies.
Materials and Methods: A policy analysis will review the ability of the COVAX initiative to achieve its goals in vaccine distribution to low?income and lower?middle income countries through the areas of mobilization and country involvement. Data on COVID?19 vaccine mobilization will be collected from a representative sample of three WHO regions, including Uganda and Kenya from the African Region, Haiti and Nicaragua from the Region of the Americas, and Nepal and India from the South?East Asia Region. Vaccination rates between the low?income and the lower?middle income countries will be compared to identify efficacy of distribution between income levels. Factors such as vaccine hesitancy and authorization mechanisms will also be noted in each country to evaluate obstacles to distribution. Internal review analyses and data released from the WHO and World Bank will be examined for data on the COVAX policy as information is released between 2021 and 2023. The lessons gained from previous initiatives will be compared to the outcomes of the COVAX strategies to highlight future recommendations and coordinated responses for immunizations in developing nations.
Results: We anticipate that the COVAX initiative will foster a large mobilization effort of COVID-19 vaccinations in lower-middle and low-income countries that may be limited by country-specific obstacles and a funding gap. WHO reports have revealed the GVAP utilized a top-down approach to immunization distribution in the general population, which may contribute to decreased country involvement from regional leaders and could carry over into the structure of COVAX. Issues such as vaccine hesitancy, health care worker availability, and political instability may contribute to hindered COVID-19 vaccine mobilization as well. Due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some findings from GVAP reviews released in 2020 may not have been applied when developing the structure, methods, and goals of COVAX.
Conclusion: This study aims to compile clear and persistent issues between these various global vaccine plans to propose key solutions for sustainable immunization availability to underserved populations in lower-middle and low-income regions and define lessons learned from the monumental undertaking.
Background and Significance: As new and modified vaccines have been made available to the world in the past several decades, global health experts have continued to explore methods of vaccine distribution in lower?middle and low?income countries. Global partnerships and plans have become more common, especially with the inauguration of the WHO¿s first decade plan, Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS), in 2006. Since this policy, the WHO has introduced the GVAP from 2012?2020 as well as the recent COVAX initiative, which operates as part of the ACT Accelerator, a global response to the COVID?19 pandemic, for the distribution of COVID?19 vaccines. This study seeks to evaluate and compare the effectiveness, methods, and impact of the COVAX vaccine plan to aid in the implementation of new immunization policies.
Materials and Methods: A policy analysis will review the ability of the COVAX initiative to achieve its goals in vaccine distribution to low?income and lower?middle income countries through the areas of mobilization and country involvement. Data on COVID?19 vaccine mobilization will be collected from a representative sample of three WHO regions, including Uganda and Kenya from the African Region, Haiti and Nicaragua from the Region of the Americas, and Nepal and India from the South?East Asia Region. Vaccination rates between the low?income and the lower?middle income countries will be compared to identify efficacy of distribution between income levels. Factors such as vaccine hesitancy and authorization mechanisms will also be noted in each country to evaluate obstacles to distribution. Internal review analyses and data released from the WHO and World Bank will be examined for data on the COVAX policy as information is released between 2021 and 2023. The lessons gained from previous initiatives will be compared to the outcomes of the COVAX strategies to highlight future recommendations and coordinated responses for immunizations in developing nations.
Results: We anticipate that the COVAX initiative will foster a large mobilization effort of COVID-19 vaccinations in lower-middle and low-income countries that may be limited by country-specific obstacles and a funding gap. WHO reports have revealed the GVAP utilized a top-down approach to immunization distribution in the general population, which may contribute to decreased country involvement from regional leaders and could carry over into the structure of COVAX. Issues such as vaccine hesitancy, health care worker availability, and political instability may contribute to hindered COVID-19 vaccine mobilization as well. Due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some findings from GVAP reviews released in 2020 may not have been applied when developing the structure, methods, and goals of COVAX.
Conclusion: This study aims to compile clear and persistent issues between these various global vaccine plans to propose key solutions for sustainable immunization availability to underserved populations in lower-middle and low-income regions and define lessons learned from the monumental undertaking.
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Burnett School of Medicine