Red Cross wants ‘international vaccine bank’ for pandemics
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The Geneva-based IFRC has called on countries to launch an "international vaccine bank" in anticipation of the next pandemic.
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In a report released in Geneva, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) made this a condition for equitable access. In addition to this request, it wants vaccines and doctors to be prioritised for those working to guarantee food security or health for the population. It called for an international campaign to convince people of the importance of protecting such workers.
The organisation has held discussions with over 16,000 people, in collaboration with dozens of national Red Cross societies. People from the private sector and trade unions were also interviewed for the report published on Wednesday.
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Inside Geneva Podcast: what became of the pandemic treaty?
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Inside Geneva was at the World Health Assembly over the past week, finding out what lessons are being learned from Covid-19.
Nearly 70% of the people questioned feared being infected by the coronavirus during the pandemic. Those from the Americas region and/or working in healthcare were the most concerned.
More than half had also seen their personal finances affected. The same proportion felt that their government had responded well to the pandemic. This proportion was higher in Africa, but lower in the Americas.
Nearly half of those surveyed who worked in the healthcare sector felt that they had been discriminated against because of their work during the pandemic. And a considerable majority did not have easy access to the vaccine, despite their importance in the face of the coronavirus.
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