According to reports, as of Monday, 70% of Canadians had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Online research publications our data world. Approximately 26% of the world’s population has had at least one injection.

But this percentage is driven by rich countries. This is in stark contrast to the field struggle in low-income countries, where on average only 1% of people have received any vaccines.

In Africa, the increase in mutation-driven infections and the lack of vaccine coverage have put many countries into crisis.

“The death toll has risen sharply in the past five weeks. This is a clear warning signal that the hospitals in the worst-hit countries are reaching a tipping point,” said Dr. Macidiso Morti, World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa. In online update.

Some experts say that if Canada and other wealthy countries do not act quickly to substantially increase the number of vaccines provided to these countries, this will not only be a failure of global citizenship, but it will also put Canadians at risk for another wave of COVID-19. .

“[It’s] It’s not just a matter of charity. This is a question of self-interest,” said Dr. Prabhat Jha, a global health researcher at Toronto Unity Health and the University of Toronto’s Dalarana School of Public Health.

‘Global War’

“This is a global war. You can’t simply say that we will vaccinate Canadians and we will be safe.”

This is because countries with low vaccination rates and uncontrolled spread of the virus become “mutant factories,” Jha said.

He said that the longer people have not been vaccinated, the more likely it is that another variant will evade our current vaccine protection.

Experts say that just as the more spreading delta variants are becoming more and more dominant, new variants will enter Canada.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alberta, said: “Global security and our own actual security really depend on understanding things.”

She said that many low- and middle-income countries are still the hardest hit by COVID-19 because they have difficulty obtaining vaccines, making them popular holiday destinations for Canadians.

“People think it’s over”

“Here, people almost feel that everything is over,” Sachsinger said. “I even have more and more people saying,’Do you think it’s okay to go to Resort X in autumn or winter?’ I thought,’Resort X will still be in a pandemic’…unless we really start… Provide help more actively.”

Saxinger said that because the virus spreads exponentially, speed is now critical.

“If you do it earlier, your help will bring greater benefits.”

Canada has pledged to provide approximately 118 million doses of vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, including 100 million announced At the G7 summit in June. Of these, 87 million doses have been purchased and donated to the Access COVID-19 Tool (ACT) accelerator launched by WHO in April 2020.

The remaining 13 million doses promised by G7 are the remaining doses purchased by the Canadian government.

In July, the federal government announced that it would donate 17.7 million doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford’s remaining dose Vaccines, bringing the current total commitment to approximately 30 million doses.

On the same day, the government also announced that it would provide personal donations of up to 10 million U.S. dollars to UNICEF before September 6.

Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, and Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, stated that donation matching activities can provide enough funds to vaccinate another 4 million people in troubled countries vaccine.

In an interview with CBC News on Friday, Gould said that the federal government is still finalizing a contract with the global vaccine sharing program COVAX to provide 30 million doses of vaccine to those in need. Gould said she expects it will take a few more weeks.

When asked whether Canada should increase its global vaccination efforts, Gould said: “I think Canada has actually stepped up its efforts and made the contribution we deserve.”

She said that in addition to being one of the largest contributors to the per capita dose in the world, the federal government also helped fund the initial development of the COVID-19 vaccine and contributed to logistical support to ensure that countries can manage it.

When asked whether Canada will provide any further vaccines, Gould said that the government “is constantly evaluating…our pipelines and vaccine supply.”

She said: “Our priority is to ensure that every Canadian who wants to get a COVID-19 vaccine can get the vaccine.” “As the Prime Minister said from the beginning, if we have a surplus, we will donate. .”

Need “war” effort

But donating excess vaccines is not enough. Jia said that he believes that the global crisis requires a “war” effort, including using Canada’s procurement power to buy more vaccines for developing countries and using its diplomatic influence to put pressure on vaccines—— Manufacturing countries make more – and faster.

“We must do this as soon as possible,” Jia said. “It is in our own interest to fight mutation where they appear, not when they appear on our borders.”

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Global Vaccination Alliance and COVAX co-founder GAVI praised Canada’s contribution, but acknowledged that speeding up the action would help a lot.

“The best direct way that a country like Canada can help is to convert dose commitments into doses provided in the country and in weapons as quickly as possible,” GAVI said.

“The global supply is now shrinking-the supply landscape will be completely different in a few months. Providing vaccines now means saving lives.”