(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The world's focus is firmly on the coronavirus pandemic and how it's affecting lives and economies everywhere.
The death toll from coronavirus surpassed 1.3mn with more than 53.3mn people currently affected because of the pandemic worldwide.
With Covid-19 infections rising around the world, the World Bank estimates that the pandemic will push up to 150mn people into extreme poverty by the end of 2021.
The world's most pressing immediate priority therefore is to speed the development and delivery of vaccines that can control the spread of Covid-19.
Recently, US drugmaker Pfizer announced its experimental coronavirus vaccine made in partnership with Germany's BioNTech was more than 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 in trial participants and could be ready by the end of this year.
The expected vaccine roll-out in the next few weeks, however, poses new challenges for the global community. Reaching the vaccine to billions of people around the world is a gigantic task.
Experts are highlighting the need for robust supply chain infrastructure such as transportation systems, logistics, and ultra-cold freezers to deliver vaccines and treatments, including by using new digital technologies and information systems.
The aviation industry will be particularly important in distribution.
That's why the global body of airlines IATA recently urged governments to begin careful planning with industry stakeholders to ensure full preparedness when vaccines for Covid-19 are approved and available for distribution.
Undoubtedly, policymakers and health administrators everywhere are feeling overwhelmed and daunted over how to distribute the most fragile vaccine in world's history.
It needs to be ensured that vaccines are available equitably to all countries particularly the poorest, which have the least resources to procure and deploy them.
Beyond the urgent response to Covid-19, the global community also needs to help countries build resilience.
One such initiative is the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund (HEPRTF), which is designed to help developing countries prepare better for disease outbreaks, including when they can't access the World Bank's regular financing.
Resilient systems will be key not only to distributing vaccines, but also to ensuring that other critical services, especially maternal and child health continue during a pandemic. Early estimates suggest that child mortality could rise by 45% with health services curtailed and less access to food.
Policymakers at a virtual roundtable convened by World Bank recently agreed that the Covid-19 response needs to prioritise health and community workers and other high-risk populations, and that it's vital to ensure vaccines are affordable by addressing payment and access bottlenecks.
The roundtable underscored concerns about the spread of misinformation, myths, and scepticism about Covid-19 vaccines and immunisation generally.
Participants agreed that national and community-based communication campaigns are needed to defuse growing vaccine hesitancy and educate people about protecting themselves and their families from the virus.
Strong partnerships and co-operation, within countries and across regions, are at the heart of effective action to combat the pandemic.
Obviously, the road to a resilient recovery requires massive investments across countries, as well as sustained commitment and financial support from the international community.
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