Vaccines within days of distribution

The latest international meetings prior to the end of 2020 have left a common denominator of opinions and proposals from both governments and representatives of international institutions in favour of various concepts: the search for a new multilateralism; the urgent need to strengthen the WHO; the imprint of a new social contract; the implementation of a new deal; the acceleration of digital processes and the green economy as a fundamental premise even to avoid a new pandemic. 

And, of course, there is the need to defeat the pandemic, vaccination as a weapon to control and then defeat the virus that at the end of November has caused more than 60 million deaths.

However, the penultimate month of the year closes with some encouraging news: Pfizer's vaccines with BioNTech (made from messenger RNA) generate an immunity of over 95%; Moderna (also made from messenger RNA) has an efficacy of 94.5%; AstraZeneca's immunisation with Oxford University (adenovirus from a chimpanzee) has shown an efficacy ranging from 62 to 90%.

The scientific committee of the Gamaleya Institute in Russia, a few hours after the announcement of the British AstraZeneca, issued a series of declarations stating that its Sputnik V vaccine (human flu adenovirus) causes immunity of over 92%; its serum has been registered since 11 August last as the first in the world under the suspicion of the WHO. 

AstraZeneca and the immunisation experienced since March by the Jenner Institute and the University of Oxford has always been the WHO's bet; in fact, it created an Access Accelerator to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) a global collaboration project since April that brings together governments, civil society organisations and philanthropists for the equitable allocation of diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments to combat SARS-CoV-2.

The WHO also formed the Global Access to VCT-19 Mechanism called COVAX (to which Mexico is attached) in which the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) and the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) also participate.

The effort to deliver vaccines in record time around the world is enormous, with more than 194 countries with a population of more than 7.7 billion people.

The WHO, in the voice of its head, Tedros Adhanom, as well as António Guterres, head of the UN, have indicated that all available infrastructure will be used to ensure that all doses are safely delivered to the population.

Adhanom, who has always taken a cautious view of the pace of the pandemic and the speed of the vaccine research process, was "optimistic" after AstraZeneca released its Phase III results. 

In a few more days each country will start planning its vaccination schedule, which age groups will go first, whether it will be a voluntary or a mandatory vaccination, whether it will enter the national health scheme or not, and of course whether it will be free or payable.

At the same time, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca will begin the process of patenting and marketing their respective vaccines. On November 20, Pfizer applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for "emergency" authorization to use its vaccine as soon as possible, which would mean that the United States could be the first country to vaccinate its at-risk population starting in mid-December.

The FDA itself has given its consent to use Regeneron, the drug that Trump took when he was hospitalised for coronavirus; the approval allows this drug to be given to people over 12 years of age with severe symptoms; in October, another drug called Eli Lilly, also obtained consent to be applied in US hospitals.

On the other hand, with the vaccines that will be approved 'fast track' by both the FDA, the WHO, and the European Medicines Agency, the logistics remain to be solved: the Pfizer and Moderna serum needs a temperature below 70 degrees Celsius, a freezing point for preservation and transport. 

In the meantime, the COVAX mechanism has already pre-purchased more than one billion doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and intends to have another one billion doses to be distributed among the countries adhering to this WHO platform. There is a glimmer of hope... we must not let down our guard.