An estimated 8.3 million deaths could have been avoided if a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 had been developed within 100 days, a modeling study published in The Lancet Global Health suggests. has been done.
PREMIUM FILE – A healthcare worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami on October 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Lynn Sladke, File) (AP)
The 100 Day Mission is an effort by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to reduce the development time for vaccines against emerging pathogens to 100 days. The Coalition is a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biological countermeasures against infectious disease and pandemic threats.
“If the 100-day mission had been successfully implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic (and if countries had taken the same public health and social measures as historically to prevent infection) , 8.3 million deaths worldwide could have been avoided, mainly in lower-middle-income countries,” the researchers who conducted the study said. The study found that in low- and middle-income countries alone, 15.7 million COVID-19-related hospitalizations could have been avoided and 4.8 million lives saved.
In monetary terms, 8.3 million lives saved means a savings of $14.3 trillion based on statistical life years. Modelers also estimate that around $1.4 trillion in lost productivity and $63 billion in hospitalization costs due to illness could have been avoided worldwide.
The modelers also considered an alternative scenario in which public health and social measures such as lockdowns were lifted early due to high vaccine uptake, with a 100-day mission to reduce restrictions globally by 12,600. They found that 5.8 million deaths could be avoided while reducing the number of days.
The authors say the findings highlight the value of the 100-day mission to prioritize more equitable global vaccine distribution and improve vaccine production and health systems to prepare for future pandemic threats. He said it shows the need.
CEPI CEO Dr. Richard Hatchett stressed in a statement that the discovery should strengthen global efforts for the 100-day mission.
“This study shows in the clearest terms why the world needs to be prepared to act more quickly and equitably when new pandemic infectious disease threats emerge.” said. “Investing now in preparedness to enable a 100-day mission against future incipient pandemics will save millions of lives and protect the global economy from catastrophic losses. ”
One hundred days or three months is approximately the time it took from the time SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the disease) began to spread until the world distributed the first safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. Equivalent to one third.
India was one of the selected countries to develop an anti-Covid vaccine within 12 months of the start of the pandemic. India’s coronavirus vaccine success story is why the country has been able to implement the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination program and protect its population in the long term. There is a critical need for rapid vaccine development, especially during a global public health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, and governments will prioritize this to minimize loss of life. There is a need.
Rhythm Kaul, National Health Editor-in-Chief, analyzes the impact of this week’s most important news on the health sector.
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