Deployment of COVID-19 vaccines

As of 3 January 2024^[update], 13.53 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 70.6 percent of the global population having received at least one dose.^[1]^[2] While 4.19 million vaccines were then being administered daily, only 22.3 percent of people in low-income countries had received at least a first vaccine by September 2022, according to official reports from national health agencies, which are collated by Our World in Data.^[3]

During a pandemic on the rapid timeline and scale of COVID-19 cases in 2020, international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), vaccine developers, governments, and industry evaluated the distribution of the eventual vaccine(s).^[4] Individual countries producing a vaccine may be persuaded to favor the highest bidder for manufacturing or provide first-class service to their own country.^[5]^[6]^[7] Experts emphasize that licensed vaccines should be available and affordable for people at the frontlines of healthcare and in most need.^[5]^[7]

In April 2020, it was reported that the UK agreed to work with 20 other countries and global organizations, including France, Germany, and Italy, to find a vaccine and share the results, and that UK citizens would not get preferential access to any new COVID‑19 vaccines developed by taxpayer-funded UK universities.^[8] Several companies planned to initially manufacture a vaccine at artificially low prices, then increase prices for profitability later if annual vaccinations are needed and as countries build stock for future needs.^[7]

The WHO had set out the target to vaccinate 40% of the population of all countries by the end of 2021 and 70% by mid-2022,^[9] but many countries missed the 40% target at the end of 2021.^[10]^[11]

^ Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Rodés-Guirao L, Appel C, Giattino C, Hasell J, et al. (2020). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
^ Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Ortiz-Ospina E, Roser M, Hasell J, Appel C, et al. (2021). "A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations". Nature Human Behaviour. 5 (7): 947–953. doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01122-8. PMID 33972767.
^ Richie H, Ortiz-Ospina E, Beltekian D, Methieu E, Hasell J, Macdonald B, et al. (1 September 2021). "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research". Our World in Data. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
^ "Update on WHO Solidarity Trial – Accelerating a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine". World Health Organization (WHO). 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020. It is vital that we evaluate as many vaccines as possible as we cannot predict how many will turn out to be viable. To increase the chances of success (given the high level of attrition during vaccine development), we must test all candidate vaccines until they fail. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working to ensure that all of them have the chance of being tested at the initial stage of development. The results for the efficacy of each vaccine are expected within three to six months and this evidence, combined with data on safety, will inform decisions about whether it can be used on a wider scale.
^ ^a ^b Gates B (April 2020). "Responding to Covid-19 - A Once-in-a-Century Pandemic?". The New England Journal of Medicine. 382 (18): 1677–1679. doi:10.1056/nejmp2003762. PMID 32109012.
^ Weintraub R, Yadav P, Berkley S (2 April 2020). "A COVID-19 vaccine will need equitable, global distribution". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Steenhuysen J, Eisler P, Martell A, Nebehay S (27 April 2020). "Special Report: Countries, companies risk billions in race for coronavirus vaccine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
^ Gartner A, Roberts L (3 May 2020). "How close are we to a coronavirus vaccine? Latest news on UK trials". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
^ "WHO, UN set out steps to meet world COVID vaccination targets". World Health Organization (WHO). 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
^ "COVID-19: WHO calls on countries to vaccinate 70% of their population by mid-2022". 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
^ "Covid-19 vaccinations: African nations miss WHO target". BBC. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

[1] Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Rodés-Guirao L, Appel C, Giattino C, Hasell J, et al. (2020). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2023.

[2] Mathieu E, Ritchie H, Ortiz-Ospina E, Roser M, Hasell J, Appel C, et al. (2021). "A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations". Nature Human Behaviour. 5 (7): 947–953. doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01122-8. PMID 33972767.

[ourworldindata.org-3] Richie H, Ortiz-Ospina E, Beltekian D, Methieu E, Hasell J, Macdonald B, et al. (1 September 2021). "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research". Our World in Data. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.

[who-accel-4] "Update on WHO Solidarity Trial – Accelerating a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine". World Health Organization (WHO). 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020. It is vital that we evaluate as many vaccines as possible as we cannot predict how many will turn out to be viable. To increase the chances of success (given the high level of attrition during vaccine development), we must test all candidate vaccines until they fail. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working to ensure that all of them have the chance of being tested at the initial stage of development. The results for the efficacy of each vaccine are expected within three to six months and this evidence, combined with data on safety, will inform decisions about whether it can be used on a wider scale.

[gates1-5] Gates B (April 2020). "Responding to Covid-19 - A Once-in-a-Century Pandemic?". The New England Journal of Medicine. 382 (18): 1677–1679. doi:10.1056/nejmp2003762. PMID 32109012.

[hbr-6] Weintraub R, Yadav P, Berkley S (2 April 2020). "A COVID-19 vaccine will need equitable, global distribution". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[reuters-7] Steenhuysen J, Eisler P, Martell A, Nebehay S (27 April 2020). "Special Report: Countries, companies risk billions in race for coronavirus vaccine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.

[gartner-8] Gartner A, Roberts L (3 May 2020). "How close are we to a coronavirus vaccine? Latest news on UK trials". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.

[9] "WHO, UN set out steps to meet world COVID vaccination targets". World Health Organization (WHO). 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

[10] "COVID-19: WHO calls on countries to vaccinate 70% of their population by mid-2022". 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

[11] "Covid-19 vaccinations: African nations miss WHO target". BBC. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

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