Oxford Vaccine Creator Is Calling For People To Support A Global Vaccine Drive

International groups have warned of low vaccination coverage in developing countries

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Professor Sarah Gilbert has backed a new campaign calling on Britons to donate to the World Health Organization's Covid-19 relief fund when they receive the date for their shot.

The Arm in Arm campaign was launched by academics from the University of East Anglia in support of the WHO Solidarity Fund in an effort to boost the provision of personal protective equipment, vaccine research and treatment for vulnerable people, including refugees.

It comes after the UK confirmed that 15 million Britons had already received their first dose of the shot.

But major international groups, including WHO and Amnesty International, have expressed concern that many poorer countries either have low vaccination coverage or are not yet ready to obtain supplies of the injections.

Professor Gilbert said the campaign would help increase vaccination coverage, with the Oxford / AstraZeneca shot being offered for "no profit" to all countries during the pandemic.

"We have produced and developed the Oxford vaccine as a vaccine for the world," she said.

“With AstraZeneca as our partner, we have produced a safe and effective vaccine that can be shipped and stored using the same cold chain as many other vaccines that are used routinely, in large quantities and without making a profit during the pandemic.

"We are happy to support a new initiative to get the Covid vaccine to as many people as possible."

Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit at University College London, said low vaccination coverage in other parts of the world increases the likelihood of new variants developing.

"As long as Covid continues to circulate freely around the world, it has the potential and incentive to evolve to infect people with current immunity – whether that immunity is through previous infection or vaccination," she said.

"The whole world is safer as Covid has fewer opportunities to infect and potentially mutate humans. Therefore, this initiative to support low- and middle-income countries to vaccinate their populations is not only morally right, but also sensible for everyone. U.S."

It comes after concerns had been raised earlier this year that so-called & # 39; vaccine nationalism & # 39; caused a race among rich countries to buy millions of doses, leaving many developing countries unable to insure supplies.

Dr. Kirstin Smith who it Arm In Arm projectsaid countries that had to act like a "global community" to ensure the pandemic is defeated.

"I believe there are many people who want to support the global response, express their gratitude for the vaccination and join the call for fair distribution of vaccines around the world," she said.

"At the moment, many are isolated. It is difficult to feel connected not only with your own society, but also across international borders. But in order to tackle a pandemic, we need to be able to imagine a global community and can act as one. "