Stop vaccine losses: New system for fair distribution!

Stop vaccine losses: New system for fair distribution!

Equitable vaccine distributions are crucial in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers led by Hossein Baharmand from the University of Agder have developed a new approach that aims to make distribution more efficient and avoid losses. According to forskning.no, a digital system has been designed to evaluate data to make the distribution of vaccines fairer. This is intended to help minimize the risk of new virus variants while ensuring vaccines reach where they are needed most.

A key point of the research is the finding that many doses were lost during the pandemic due to inadequate information and planning. In Norway alone, up to 125,000 cans are said to have been thrown away in 2021. This situation highlights the need for a sound distribution plan that takes into account factors such as population sizes, prioritized groups and transportation options.

Global challenges and solutions

However, the unequal distribution of vaccines is not just a problem in Norway. Many countries are experiencing healthcare overload, exacerbated by a lack of resources, particularly in low-income countries. According to a report by fn.no, the challenges are enormous: overcrowded hospitals, rising hunger rates and poverty are significantly affecting access to vaccines. To improve distribution, the World Health Organization (WHO), together with other partners, launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) initiative.

This initiative has multiple pillars, including COVAX, which aims to ensure equitable and efficient distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. However, while demand for vaccines has increased dramatically in recent years, supply is limited. Rich countries in particular often secure vaccine doses early, which makes distribution to poorer nations even more difficult. According to swp-berlin.org, rich countries have the opportunity to vaccinate their populations first, undermining global fairness in distribution.

Global vaccination strategies

Innovative solutions are needed to overcome the challenges of global vaccine distribution. Baharmand and his team's new system could be particularly useful for countries with poor infrastructure. By using open data, customized distribution strategies can be created in many countries, such as Uganda. This could also help other African countries to which the system has already been deployed to make their vaccination campaigns more efficient.

The need for global support for vaccination distribution is becoming increasingly clear. Baharmand emphasizes that if countries do not cooperate, the risk of new disease variants increases. It is therefore essential that access to vaccines is guaranteed around the world. Projects like the one in Senegal, which aims to understand vaccination challenges in remote areas, are already showing where research is heading.

In summary, ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is not only in the interest of health systems, but for the entire global community. Coordinating vaccination strategy and fair distribution remains a challenge that must be further addressed.