[[GRETA]]
ON PLUGGED IN …
THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE ...
TO VACCINATE …
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD …
AGAINST COVID-19.
[[SOT – Michael Nyenhuis: “There are no borders really anymore when it comes to these sorts of things." ]]
MONEY IS JUST ONE …
OF MANY CHALLENGES …
TO GET SHOTS INTO ARMS …
IN THE POOREST …
OF COUNTRIES.
[[SOT – Linda Mobula: “Covid-19 has exacerbated poverty risks and tens of millions of people will basically revert into extreme poverty.” ]]
RACING TO END ...
THE PANDEMIC …
BY WORKING TOGETHER ...
ON PLUGGED IN …
COVAX AND GLOBAL VACCINES.
[[STOP]]
[[GRETA]]
HELLO AND WELCOME …
TO PLUGGED IN.
I’M GRETA VAN SUSTEREN …
REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON, DC.
THE RACE TO VACCINATE ...
THE WORLD’S POPULATION ...
AGAINST COVID-19 …
IS IN HIGH GEAR.
AT LEAST SEVEN VACCINES …
HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR USE …
WORLDWIDE …
WITH HUNDREDS MORE …
STILL BEING TESTED.
GETTING SHOTS INTO ARMS …
IN THE POOREST OF COUNTRIES …
IS THE MISSION …
OF WHAT’S CALLED
THE COVAX FACILITY…
A MOVEMENT CO-LED …
BY THREE …
INTERNTIONAL ORGANIZATIONS …
TRYING TO GUARANTEE ...
FAIR ACCESS …
TO COVID-19 VACCINES ...
FOR EVERY COUNTRY …
AROUND THE WORLD.
VOA’S STEVE BARAGONA …
EXPLAINS:
[[BARAGONA PKG]]
(NARRATOR)
Wealthy countries started purchasing the first COVID-19 vaccine supplies last year.
How can lower-income countries compete?
To make COVID-19 vaccine access more equitable, global health institutions developed COVAX.
Rather than competing against each other, countries pool their resources in COVAX.
COVAX invests in many different vaccines ...
... so countries aren't stuck if some fail.
Each country in COVAX gets enough of the successful vaccines to cover a percentage of its population ...
... especially frontline health workers and the most vulnerable.
Underfunded by tens of billions of dollars, COVAX has not worked as well as hoped. Countries are still making one-on-one deals with vaccine makers, taking up limited supplies.
But in a global pandemic, new, dangerous variants can appear wherever the virus is allowed to spread. It’s already happened in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.
If these variants undermine the vaccines, the world goes back to square one.
Health experts say, “No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
[[GRETA]]
THE UNITED STATES …
HAS PLEDGED …
FOUR BILLION DOLLARS …
TO COVAX …
WHICH HAS SHIPPED …
MORE THAN 30-MILLION DOSES …
TO AT LEAST 57 …
OF ITS PARTNERS.
AMONG THE ORGANIZATIONS …
TRYING TO HELP …
IS UNICEF …
ALREADY INVOLVED …
IN VACCINATING …
THE WORLD’S CHILDREN.
MICHAEL NYENHUIS (NINE-HISE) ...
IS PRESIDENT …
AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER …
FOR UNICEF USA.
I ASKED HIM …
ABOUT THE CHALLENGES …
OF GETTING VACCINES …
TO THOSE WHO NEED …
THEM MOST.
[[STOP]]
[[NYENHUIS INTERVIEW]]
GVS = Greta Van Susteren
MN = Michael Nyenhuis
MN: Well, it’s a huge challenge as you can imagine, but nobody is set up to do it better than UNICEF. Every year we deliver, we procure and deliver about two billion doses of vaccines childhood vaccines for under five kids around the world We we vaccinate almost half the world's children every year. So we know how to do this We have the supply chain We have the procurement mechanisms. We know that where the the health centers are, we've trained the vaccinators. So we do know how to do this but that's not to minimize the challenge that it is right now. Now It's a little bit different for us because day in and day out we're vaccinating children for basic vaccines for under fives. This is going to be vaccinating first health workers, social service workers, vulnerable adults. So it's a different population base that we normally target. But on the other hand, it's the same supply chain the same relationships with ministries of health, the same understanding of what's happening at community health centers, the same training needed for the vaccinators.
GVS: You mentioned UNICEF to vaccinate children typically, which is how I always think about UNICEF. Are you also gearing up for the possibility that you may be vaccinating children? Is that sort of in the distant future?
MN: Well I think that's probably in the future. You know, we know that several of the vaccine makers are now beginning to test the vaccine on children. And so we'll have to wait until to see what those results of those of that testing is. But one thing we know about children is they have not been the the ones most affected directly by getting the virus and the symptoms of the virus. But on the other hand they are the ones that are suffering a lot because of this There are one hundred and eighty million kids around the world that have been out of school for an entire year. And you can imagine how much that puts them behind in trying to make progress, we know that education is the route out of poverty. It's the route to a better life. And imagine all of those children out of school. It's disrupted supply chains for food and nutrition. There's economic impacts on families that have impacts on children. So, you know, UNICEF our focus is the health of welfare and the rights of children. But until we beat the pandemic, kids can't get their lives back. And so we have to beat the pandemic.
GVS: Is it about distribution or is it distribution, and also getting the shots in the arm? Right? Does UNICEF and COVAX just getting the vaccines out there are also getting it into arms?
MN: Yeah, I mean, ultimately into arms, right? So, there's really three key pieces of this that all have to work together. Number one is the production of the vaccine itself. And so we're really grateful for all the companies that have worked on it, the governments that have supported that. We need more supply. This is the pinch point for us right now is enough supply to get to the to the countries that we're focused on. But so so we're working with all of the companies to access as much vaccine as we can. The second part is the supply chain to get it from manufacturer into countries, through ministries of health down to health centers and into the hands of vaccinators. So we're working on that piece. And there are many points of of where that can stumble And we've worked on all of that. And then the third piece is to get. He's ready to take the vaccine, so we have to confront vaccine hesitancy in these communities as well just like we're seeing in some parts of our own country here. So we do a lot of training, a lot of community education to get people ready to take the vaccine because ultimately you need shots and arms.
GVS: Any idea about how many vaccines Kovacs has actually gotten into arms right now?
MN: Well we've been in about 50 countries so far and tens of millions so far. Our goal is in this calendar year to to to deliver two billion doses through our supply chain to those countries that I'm talking about. So that's a really just a down payment on it that will get us the health workers the social service workers and some of the most vulnerable adults and that we need to keep going from there in the next calendar year. And speed that up as as more supply comes in, we've got the supply chain in place, we can deliver, we need more supply.
GVS: How do you determine which nation got it first or which nation gets it before another nation?
MN: Yeah, the first couple of weeks ago when this all started, we started delivering the first vaccines were to Ghana and to Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa. We have a really interesting matrix has put together a country readiness that's looking at, again the ability of the country to take how much vaccine how quickly can they get it into people's arms and put a lot of research and data into that and have them kind of on a long list and working right down that list to get them where they need to be.
GVS: In terms of reception here in the United States they're. Some people don't want it at all. The anti vaccines, but there are all but most people do want it and they're standing in line or trying to get on list to get it And the supply just has not yet met the demand. What are you finding in terms of in other like in the African continent? Are people lining up to get it or are you still trying to get them to persuade them that this is a wise thing to do?
MN: Well, a little bit of both Right. So, you know, our population is no different than what you find in other countries. There are a lot of people who are desperate for it and in getting in line and want to have it and other people are going to have to work on the hesitancy issue. You know, we work on that every day anyway. Even hesitancy about childhood vaccines we know that's an issue here in the US that it's an issue in countries where we were. We do lots of community information, call in community leaders to help promote vaccines and we're continuing to do that around covid as well. I saw an interview yesterday with a health worker in Malawi who had gotten her vaccine and she's been through what she's been through in the past year in her hospital, mirrors what health workers in her own country have been through. And to see the joy on her face about getting this vaccine which came through our supply chain and through COVX partnership, just really made me proud of the work that we're doing.
GVS: Sir thank you very much for joining me and thank you to UNICEF. I've been a big fan of UNICEF for a long time.
MN: Thank you so much.
[[GRETA]]
THE UNITED STATES …
SAYS IT PLANS TO LOAN …
FOUR MILLION DOSES …
OF THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE …
TO ITS NEIGHBORS …
CANADA AND MEXICO.
IT COMES AS THE U.S. …
WORKS WITH MEXICO …
TO REDUCE THE RISING …
NUMBER OF PEOPLE …
TRYING TO ILLEGALLY CROSS …
THE BORDER.
THE U.S. IS COMING UNDER …
INCREASED SCRUTINY…
FOR NOT SHARING …
ITS SUPPLY OF VACCINE.
MEANWHILE, CHINA AND RUSSIA …
ARE NOT LETTING …
A DIPLOMATIC OPPORTUNITY …
SLIP AWAY …
BECOMING MAJOR …
VACCINE SUPPLIERS …
TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
WE HAVE TWO REPORTS …
FIRST FROM VOA …
SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT …
CINDY SAINE.
[[SAINE PKG]]
((Video in Frame, Saine In Progress, AFP 9432Y4: little girl getting vaccinated in La Paz clinic, people clapping, indigenous woman in traditional clothing getting vaccinated, holding her certificate, close up of supplies and and needles))
((NAT SOUND-CLAPPING))
((NARRATOR))
Hope has arrived at this clinic in La Paz, Bolivia, in the form of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines from China.
Bolivia, like other Latin American countries, has been ravaged by COVID-19.
((Video: in Saine In Progress: URY_PandemicVaccines_93V227, first batch of Chinese vaccine arrives in Montevideo, Uruguay, plane landing, cargo unloaded over to 1:05 where you see the boxes being stored with “SINOVAC”, in Frame, AFP 93T94N: Airport footage in Argentina of vaccines arriving from China, plane landing, cargo being unloaded, officials watching))
China says it plans to provide vaccines to 53 countries, including many in Latin America, and to make inoculation accessible and affordable.
((Video: In Saine In Progress: AFP 94K6PN: Biden walks into veterans vaccine clinic, greets everyone, watches a woman get a shot ready and administer it, over to Biden SOT: https://app.frame.io/projects/107d8a33-963a-48f0-9001-585725df7d34/47ef73e4-9114-42a3-b17f-8e012beef5f6))
President Joe Biden says he is focusing on getting the vaccines to all eligible Americans before exporting it. But his administration is increasingly facing questions about why the U.S. is not sharing its vaccine supplies with its neighbors, especially warehoused doses of the AstraZeneca shot, which has not been approved for use in the United States.
((Video:MRT today: ([VOA] Central Published > Central Thursday 3-18 > MRT CLIPS > White House Briefing / Press Secretary Psaki / HUD Secretary Fudge) TC: 12;58;06;14 MRT PSAKI we have 7 million releasable doses of astrazeneca
Psaki B-roll walking to podium and SOT: MRT White House))
Now the White House says the administration plans to share some doses of AstraZeneca, first with neighbors Canada and Mexico.
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
“I can confirm that we have 7 million releasable doses available of AstraZeneca….2.5 million of those we are working to finalize plans to lend those to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada.”
((Video: in Saine In Progress, NO Access Chinese mainland-CCTV: 8181933, Beijing square, China flag, Chinese factory producing boxes of vaccine))
Experts say China’s much larger-scale sharing of medical supplies, after the pandemic originated in Wuhan, has given Beijing a diplomatic boost - and also “soft power” leverage in Mexico, Brazil and other developing nations.
((RADIO TRACK: Trevor Sutton is with the Center for American Progress in Washington))
((Trevor Sutton, Center for American Progress))
((Mandatory Skype Courtesy))
((Video: in Frame, VOA Video Share, tcsutton, TC: 00:03:53 - 00:04:27 ]
“China has been able to contain the pandemic within its borders more effectively than the United States and other Western democracies and that means there's less demand for the vaccine in China and gives the Chinese government more breathing room to send vaccines abroad.”
((Video: AP Video ID: 4316356-South Korea US, March 17, shots of Secretary of State Blinken walking with his counterpart in Seoul))
((NARRATOR))
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while visiting Asia, cautioned there are “strings attached” to China’s medical diplomacy, and most experts agree there is nothing “soft” about China’s approach.
((RADIO TRACK: “….and most experts such as Benjamin Gedan at the Wilson Center agree there is nothing “soft” about China’s approach.” ))
((Video: in Frame, VOA Video Share, Gedan SOT: https://app.frame.io/projects/ae30dd8f-b6c4-418a-b02d-530603115a58, TC: 00:09:13 - 00:10:26))
((Benjamin Gedan, Wilson Center))
((Mandatory Skype Video Courtesy))
“The way the Chinese are handling the vaccine distribution is not from a real magnanimous humanitarian attitude, but a pretty aggressive approach that essentially demands that Huawei get access to telecommunications auctions in Latin America, that Taiwan be held at arm's length throughout the region.”
((Video: in Saine In Progress: AFP USA PandemicEducation-94B4F4, soldiers directing lines of cars in LA, soldiers administering vaccines, wide shot of a big area of tents, more soldiers giving vaccines to Americans in cars))
((NARRATOR))
Biden says he wants all American adults to be able to register for a vaccine by May first, and he hopes people will be able to safely gather in small groups again for the July 4th U.S. Independence Day holiday. Experts say once that happens, the U.S. will likely become a major exporter of vaccines around the world.
((Cindy Saine, VOA News))
[[CROSSROLL TO MAYNES PACKAGE]]
((NARRATOR))
This is Charles Maynes in Moscow. In the global battle against COVID 19, Russia’s Sputnik V has emerged as a key choice among countries scrambling for access to life saving vaccines.
((NAT SOUND))
((Mandatory cg: ‘Sputnik V’))
((YouTube logo ))
A glitzy social media campaign by its manufacturer backs the push.
((Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund (IN ENGLISH))
((Mandatory cg: ‘Sputnik V’))
((YouTube logo ))
“So today is a great victory. A victory not just for Russia but for the whole world as we are fighting the pandemic, and we use this “V” sign to celebrate our victory.”
((NARRATOR))
Sputnik V appears to have defied early skeptics…
A recent independent review showed the vaccine with an efficacy rate of over 90%.
It’s a triumph of Russian soft power, say some observers…so long as the Kremlin manages to keep geopolitics out of the way.
((Konstantin Sonin, Russian Higher School of Economics (IN ENGLISH) ))
((Mandatory Skype ID ))
“Whenever the image is ‘this is great because we’re beating Pfizer and Moderna…’ this doesn’t actually help Russia’s image. So, people care about getting the vaccine, not about Russia beating the United States.”
((NARRATOR))
Russia’s unique vaccine diplomacy has been particularly on display in Latin America…where Russia has promised millions of doses to much fanfare.
That the deals come against the backdrop of American drug manufacturers struggling to meet their own export quotas to the region only adds geopolitical dividends, say leading area experts.
((Dmitry Rozental, Russian Academy of Sciences (MALE RUSSIAN) ))
“Latin America is important to Russian foreign policy……both in terms of gaining access to significant markets and making political allies amid a larger confrontation with the countries of the collective West.”
((NARRATOR))
Less clear… whether Russia’s promises to the world come at the expense of needs at home…
Vaccines are widely available in Moscow. But distribution to Russia’s heartland presents a more complicated picture.
In Novosibirsk, the main urban hub in Siberia, residents pride themselves on an ethos of independence…burnished by a cold and unforgiving climate.
Yet local healthcare workers say amid a deadly pandemic, the mass vaccination effort in the area has struggled to keep pace.
((Tatiana Ivleva, Chief Specialist for Vaccines, Novosibirsk (FEMALE RUSSIAN) ))
((Mandatory skype))
“The number of those hoping to get vaccinated outnumbers those we can provide them to. So, people will have to wait…”
((NARRATOR))
But public skepticism may prove the larger problem…
A recent poll suggests nearly two-thirds of Russians refuse to take the Sputnik V vaccine altogether…a reflection — analysts say — of overexposure to years of state media crackling with conspiracies.
((Ilya Yablokov, Media Analyst (IN ENGLISH) ))
((Mandatory cg: Skype ))
“The central reason…the key reason here…is that the government was spreading distrust…in all sorts of things.”
((NARRATOR))
The irony: when it comes to Sputnik V, past lies have cast doubt on today’s very real scientific achievements…
…and it may keep Russians from recognizing a good thing when it’s just a shot away.
((CHARLES MAYNES, FOR VOA NEWS, MOSCOW))
[[GRETA]]
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION …
HAS BEEN IN THE MIDDLE ...
OF THE COVID CRISIS …
FROM ITS MARCH 2020 …
DECLARATION OF A PANDEMIC …
TO ITS LEADERSHIP POSITION ...
OF THE COVAX FACILITY.
VOA’S LINORD MOUDOU [[ LEE-NOR MOO-DOO]]
SPOKE TO THE W.H.O. …
DIRECTOR GENERAL ...
ABOUT PREPARING ...
FOR THE NEXT PANADEMIC.
[[STOP]]
[[SOT]
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director-general:
“A lesson in the past year, not only the national capacity in terms of preparedness and focus on signs and helping politics to support signs, but also the global coordination has to be strengthened. And also the you know when we say global coordination, starting from early strengthening, from early warning systems.
Before even COVID, we were we have started transformation in WHO. And based on this experience, we will add more ideas to improve our system.
And we have many mechanisms now, several mechanisms that is helping us to evaluate the situation in this pandemic and understand the lessons and then incorporate them into our systems, be it at national, regional or global level for future preparedness.”
[[GRETA]]
SO FAR THIS YEAR...
ISRAEL IS ONE OF THE LEADERS...
IN MASS VACCINATION EFFORTS,
WITH THE LATEST NUMBERS...
SHOWING JUST OVER HALF...
OF THE POPULATION...
IS FULLY VACCINATED.
AT THE SAME TIME...
THE COUNTRY IS...
COMING UNDER SCRUTINY...
AS MANY PALESTINIANS...
IN THE REGION...
HAVE FACED DIFFICULTY...
ACCESSING VACCINES.
VOA’S LINDA GRADSTEIN...
TELLS US MORE...
FROM JERUSALEM.
[[STOP]]
[[PKG/GRADSTEIN]]
((NARRATOR))
The stream of Palestinian workers did not stop coming at this checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Some arrived on their own, others were brought by their Israeli employers. They handed their Palestinian ID cards to the soldiers and were called in to the vaccination tents.
Inside, each worker received a shot of the Moderna COVID vaccine from the Israeli health service and a piece of paper with a date for the second vaccine dose.
The workers seemed thrilled to receive the vaccine.
((Raid Salim, Palestinian Carpenter (MALE IN HEBREW – VOA) ))
“Everyone should get the vaccine to protect ourselves, our children, our families. I tell everyone they should get the vaccine if they can. We were supposed to get the Russian vaccine in the West Bank but so far it hasn’t happened.”
((NARRATOR))
Israel aims to vaccinate 8,000 workers per day over a two-week period.
But the vast majority of Palestinians have yet to get the vaccine. COVID-19 cases in the West Bank and Gaza are climbing and the Palestinian Authority has imposed restrictions and lockdowns. Human rights groups say Israel must vaccinate all Palestinians.
((Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch in Israel/Palestine, (IN ENGLISH Reuters))
“Vaccinating only Palestinians that come in contact with Israelis, and not all Palestinians living under effective Israeli rule under occupation, reinforces that to Israeli authorities, Palestinian lives only matter to the extent they affect Jewish lives.”
((NARRATOR))
Citing the Oslo Peace Agreement, Israeli officials contend it is the Palestinian Authority that is responsible for health care in the West Bank and Gaza.
But the Palestinians who came to the checkpoint to get vaccinated were more concerned about health than politics.
((Ayed Abu Saima, Palestinian Laborer (MALE IN ARABIC – VOA) ))
“It is great that Israel is giving the vaccine to Palestinian workers. It’s a matter of life and death. I come to Israel to work, and then go back to my family in the West Bank. I wish my whole family could get vaccinated here.”
((NARRATOR))
Israeli officials say that if the Palestinian Authority asks for help with its general vaccination program, Israel will cooperate.
((Linda Gradstein, for VOA News, at the Jerusalem-Bethlehem Checkpoint ))
[[GRETA]]
FINDINGS FROM …
A NEW MEDICAL TRIAL …
IN THE U.S. …
SHOW THE ASTRAZENECA …
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE ...
IS 79-PERCENT EFFECTIVE …
PREVENTING COVID SYMPTOMS …
AND 100-PERCENT EFFECTIVE …
AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE …
AND HOSPITALIZATION.
AND EUROPE’S …
MEDICINES INSTITUTE CLEARED …
THE ASTRAZENECA SHOT …
FROM CONCERNS ABOUT …
BLOOD CLOTS.
IT IS THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE …
THAT IS MOST DISTRIBUTED …
BY COVAX TO AFRICA.
SOME HEALTHCARE WORKERS …
SAY VACCINE HESITANCY …
AND MISTRUST …
IS SLOWING PROGRESS ...
AMONG VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
DR. LINDA MOBULA IS AN …
INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN …
AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR …
AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.
I ASKED HER ABOUT...
THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES ...
OF COMBATING VACCINE HESITANCY ...
ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.
((STOP))
[[MOBULA INTERVIEW]]
GVS= Greta Van Susteren
LM= Dr. Linda Mobula
LM: Some of the reasons for the vaccine hesitancy has been due to fear, has been due to questions about side effects, as well as general distrust towards the outside world.I think there needs to be a lot that needs to happen regarding vaccine hesitancy, specifically focusing on community engagement efforts and miscommunication, bringing clarity on what the side effects are with the efficacy of the vaccine is, in addition to engaging with local leaders, community leaders religious leaders, in order to better engage with the population, but also to really listen to the community and to understand their concerns a little bit better.
GVS: How bad is the covid problem been in Congo?
LM: So the covid pandemic started in March of 2020, and since then, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has registered more than twenty seven thousand cases. The case fatality rate is estimated at two point six percent. And Congo is experiencing a second wave of cases, as many other countries, since late last year. There's been a significant decline in the number of cases, however positivity rates have remained somewhat elevated at 20 percent. So though we're seeing a decline in cases, there's still a risk for resurgence and for third wave.
GVS: For the for the health care workers who are hesitant to get the vaccine are they still willing to deliver the vaccine?
LM: And this is a very good question. I think there's still a lot of work that needs to be done regarding engagement with with health care workers. community health workers as well. I think one of the things, interventions, that we're focusing on is training of health care providers to deliver the vaccine. And I think if you're not able to convince health care workers, it's much more difficult to convince the general population. and generally most health care workers I would say on average about 20 to 30 percent have said that they are not willing to accept the vaccine based on the study by UNICEF. And one of the major concerns has been questions about side effects as well as efficacy. And so those are the two things that we need to focus on when engaging with health care providers.
GVS: Is the government engaging with Covax in a sense, in a public marketing campaign to talk about the vaccine? Are government officials getting the vaccine in public so that people could see that the government officials are doing and to try to sort of bring down the hesitancy?
LM: Absolutely that's a priority, communicating about the vaccine, engaging with the community ensuring that public officials receive it first has been a priority for the government. In fact, the minister of health has agreed to be the first one to receive the vaccine once it's launched in the next coming days or weeks. And so that's a really important factor. And that was something we learned from the Ebola outbreak as well. When the Ebola vaccine, the Merck vaccine was utilized, it was really important that government officials, that public figures receive the vaccine to gain trust from the community.
GVS: is there any sort of sense where you are that that the Congo or other parts of the African continent are not getting what they should get? Or are they feeling cheated in some way or what's sort of the sentiment?
LM: So the Africa CDC recommends that most countries target 60 percent of the population in order to achieve herd immunity. in the DRC, for example, there might be enough vaccine for twenty five percent of the population. Covax is going to provide up to 20 percent in terms of targeting of the population. And the World Bank is going to purchase vaccines for up to five percent as part of phase one. The African Union also plans on procuring vaccines, but most African countries in addition to receiving vaccines from the Covax facility, are required to have bilateral agreements with manufacturers, with other governments. And so in order to achieve the 60 percent, there is a huge need for these countries to receive vaccines from other countries, in addition to those that they will receive from from Covax.
GVS: the United States has changed, I think, forever. It may be that we don't have to do social distancing and we may get rid of the pandemic. But but do you feel sort of culturally things have changed. Do you have that sense where you are?
LM: Absolutely, Greta, I think one of the biggest impact has been on the economy in addition to the loss of lives. Covid-19 has exacerbated poverty risks and tens of millions of people will basically revert into extreme poverty. And this will reverse some of the gains that have been made over the past couple of decades. I think with regards to the impact on health systems, there's been decreased service utilization. There has been an increase in gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Schools have closed, people have lost their livelihoods. Heads of households have reported increased unemployment according to surveys done by the World Bank. And I think the impact of social distancing has been felt in a very significant way, not always being able to see family. It has changed everything I think. And that that shift in terms of culture and and the social practices I think has had a huge impact.
GVS:Doctor thank you very much for joining me.
LM: Thank you very much Greta, for having me on your show.
[[GRETA]]
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ...
HAS PLACED …
AN INCREASED BURDEN...
ON THE PHYSICAL …
AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING …
OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS.
IN NEW YORK CITY ...
ONE ARTIST IS USING ...
HIS PAINTINGS TO HONOR ...
FRONTLINE WORKERS ...
IN HIS COMMUNITY.
VOA’S ANNA RICE TELLS US MORE.
[[STOP]]
[[RICE PKG]]
((NARRATION))
Dr. Anthony Fauci didn’t make Tim Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2020. But this is how New York City artist Tim Okamura has portrayed Fauci the year the coronavirus pandemic hit.
((Tim Okamura, Artist))
“On some of them you could see him looking dejected, you could see Trump in the background talking… And it’s funny to see Fauci’s expression. And just trying to capture a certain sense of stoicism and intellect and thought, his presence in the pantheon of American personalities, of being at the forefront of this pandemic.”
((NARRATION))
Okamura has also focused on nurses.
((Tim Okamura, Artist))
“I’m living across the street from Wykoff Heights Medical Center, which is absolutely full of COVID patients. And in fact, one of the first COVID patients in New York was treated there and unfortunately passed away. I was seeing medical workers coming out of the hospital daily, I was seeing their stress and the strain that they were going through.
((NARRATION))
Okamura adjusted his art to the new reality and learned to paint face masks and gloves. He dedicated special attention to the doctors’ and nurses’ name tags because most of their faces were covered with protective equipment.
((Tim Okamura, Artist))
“But we as people want to connect with somebody, we feel like there’s some kind of a barrier between you and that person, but the eyes are where you’re going to find that interaction.”
((NARRATION))
Jenny Vee can only be recognized when you look into her eyes. When she’s at work she always wears a mask. After working a 12-hour shift at a vaccination site, she says the vaccines offer hope.
((Jenny Vee, Nurse))
“It feels great because it’s signaling an end to a pandemic hopefully, and sooner rather than later. And it’s nice to see that people are coming in for it and are excited to get it, as excited as we are to give it.”
((NARRATION))
NYU Langone Health lowered its flags to honor the COVID victims. Back in May after Vee worked long hours fighting COVID, she found it hard to calm down during her two-hour drive home.
That’s when Okamura met her.
((Jenny Vee, Nurse))
“We were never taught at med school how to handle a pandemic, so when it hit, we were scared ourselves. We all have families, young children, elderly parents, and when the pandemic hit, we were trying to figure out how to get by day by day…”
((NARRATION))
Vee says while COVID vaccines are a light at the end of the tunnel – the tunnel is very long. She hasn’t seen Okamura’s portrait of her yet – just a picture on Instagram.
When it’s safe to do so, Okamura will give it to her as a gift – like he will gift the other portraits of medical workers as a way to give thanks and remember the pandemic’s toll on human lives.
((For Vladimir Lenski in New York, Anna Rice, VOA News))
[[GRETA]]
THAT’S ALL THE TIME …
WE HAVE FOR NOW.
THANKS TO MY GUESTS …
DR. LINDA MOBULA …
AND MICHAEL NYENHUIS (NINE-HISE).
STAY UP TO DATE …
ON THE LATEST NEWS …
AT VOANEWS.COM.
AND FOLLOW ME …
ON TWITTER …
AT GRETA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING …
PLUGGED IN.
ON PLUGGED IN …
THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE ...
TO VACCINATE …
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD …
AGAINST COVID-19.
[[SOT – Michael Nyenhuis: “There are no borders really anymore when it comes to these sorts of things." ]]
MONEY IS JUST ONE …
OF MANY CHALLENGES …
TO GET SHOTS INTO ARMS …
IN THE POOREST …
OF COUNTRIES.
[[SOT – Linda Mobula: “Covid-19 has exacerbated poverty risks and tens of millions of people will basically revert into extreme poverty.” ]]
RACING TO END ...
THE PANDEMIC …
BY WORKING TOGETHER ...
ON PLUGGED IN …
COVAX AND GLOBAL VACCINES.
[[STOP]]
[[GRETA]]
HELLO AND WELCOME …
TO PLUGGED IN.
I’M GRETA VAN SUSTEREN …
REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON, DC.
THE RACE TO VACCINATE ...
THE WORLD’S POPULATION ...
AGAINST COVID-19 …
IS IN HIGH GEAR.
AT LEAST SEVEN VACCINES …
HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR USE …
WORLDWIDE …
WITH HUNDREDS MORE …
STILL BEING TESTED.
GETTING SHOTS INTO ARMS …
IN THE POOREST OF COUNTRIES …
IS THE MISSION …
OF WHAT’S CALLED
THE COVAX FACILITY…
A MOVEMENT CO-LED …
BY THREE …
INTERNTIONAL ORGANIZATIONS …
TRYING TO GUARANTEE ...
FAIR ACCESS …
TO COVID-19 VACCINES ...
FOR EVERY COUNTRY …
AROUND THE WORLD.
VOA’S STEVE BARAGONA …
EXPLAINS:
[[BARAGONA PKG]]
(NARRATOR)
Wealthy countries started purchasing the first COVID-19 vaccine supplies last year.
How can lower-income countries compete?
To make COVID-19 vaccine access more equitable, global health institutions developed COVAX.
Rather than competing against each other, countries pool their resources in COVAX.
COVAX invests in many different vaccines ...
... so countries aren't stuck if some fail.
Each country in COVAX gets enough of the successful vaccines to cover a percentage of its population ...
... especially frontline health workers and the most vulnerable.
Underfunded by tens of billions of dollars, COVAX has not worked as well as hoped. Countries are still making one-on-one deals with vaccine makers, taking up limited supplies.
But in a global pandemic, new, dangerous variants can appear wherever the virus is allowed to spread. It’s already happened in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.
If these variants undermine the vaccines, the world goes back to square one.
Health experts say, “No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
[[GRETA]]
THE UNITED STATES …
HAS PLEDGED …
FOUR BILLION DOLLARS …
TO COVAX …
WHICH HAS SHIPPED …
MORE THAN 30-MILLION DOSES …
TO AT LEAST 57 …
OF ITS PARTNERS.
AMONG THE ORGANIZATIONS …
TRYING TO HELP …
IS UNICEF …
ALREADY INVOLVED …
IN VACCINATING …
THE WORLD’S CHILDREN.
MICHAEL NYENHUIS (NINE-HISE) ...
IS PRESIDENT …
AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER …
FOR UNICEF USA.
I ASKED HIM …
ABOUT THE CHALLENGES …
OF GETTING VACCINES …
TO THOSE WHO NEED …
THEM MOST.
[[STOP]]
[[NYENHUIS INTERVIEW]]
GVS = Greta Van Susteren
MN = Michael Nyenhuis
MN: Well, it’s a huge challenge as you can imagine, but nobody is set up to do it better than UNICEF. Every year we deliver, we procure and deliver about two billion doses of vaccines childhood vaccines for under five kids around the world We we vaccinate almost half the world's children every year. So we know how to do this We have the supply chain We have the procurement mechanisms. We know that where the the health centers are, we've trained the vaccinators. So we do know how to do this but that's not to minimize the challenge that it is right now. Now It's a little bit different for us because day in and day out we're vaccinating children for basic vaccines for under fives. This is going to be vaccinating first health workers, social service workers, vulnerable adults. So it's a different population base that we normally target. But on the other hand, it's the same supply chain the same relationships with ministries of health, the same understanding of what's happening at community health centers, the same training needed for the vaccinators.
GVS: You mentioned UNICEF to vaccinate children typically, which is how I always think about UNICEF. Are you also gearing up for the possibility that you may be vaccinating children? Is that sort of in the distant future?
MN: Well I think that's probably in the future. You know, we know that several of the vaccine makers are now beginning to test the vaccine on children. And so we'll have to wait until to see what those results of those of that testing is. But one thing we know about children is they have not been the the ones most affected directly by getting the virus and the symptoms of the virus. But on the other hand they are the ones that are suffering a lot because of this There are one hundred and eighty million kids around the world that have been out of school for an entire year. And you can imagine how much that puts them behind in trying to make progress, we know that education is the route out of poverty. It's the route to a better life. And imagine all of those children out of school. It's disrupted supply chains for food and nutrition. There's economic impacts on families that have impacts on children. So, you know, UNICEF our focus is the health of welfare and the rights of children. But until we beat the pandemic, kids can't get their lives back. And so we have to beat the pandemic.
GVS: Is it about distribution or is it distribution, and also getting the shots in the arm? Right? Does UNICEF and COVAX just getting the vaccines out there are also getting it into arms?
MN: Yeah, I mean, ultimately into arms, right? So, there's really three key pieces of this that all have to work together. Number one is the production of the vaccine itself. And so we're really grateful for all the companies that have worked on it, the governments that have supported that. We need more supply. This is the pinch point for us right now is enough supply to get to the to the countries that we're focused on. But so so we're working with all of the companies to access as much vaccine as we can. The second part is the supply chain to get it from manufacturer into countries, through ministries of health down to health centers and into the hands of vaccinators. So we're working on that piece. And there are many points of of where that can stumble And we've worked on all of that. And then the third piece is to get. He's ready to take the vaccine, so we have to confront vaccine hesitancy in these communities as well just like we're seeing in some parts of our own country here. So we do a lot of training, a lot of community education to get people ready to take the vaccine because ultimately you need shots and arms.
GVS: Any idea about how many vaccines Kovacs has actually gotten into arms right now?
MN: Well we've been in about 50 countries so far and tens of millions so far. Our goal is in this calendar year to to to deliver two billion doses through our supply chain to those countries that I'm talking about. So that's a really just a down payment on it that will get us the health workers the social service workers and some of the most vulnerable adults and that we need to keep going from there in the next calendar year. And speed that up as as more supply comes in, we've got the supply chain in place, we can deliver, we need more supply.
GVS: How do you determine which nation got it first or which nation gets it before another nation?
MN: Yeah, the first couple of weeks ago when this all started, we started delivering the first vaccines were to Ghana and to Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa. We have a really interesting matrix has put together a country readiness that's looking at, again the ability of the country to take how much vaccine how quickly can they get it into people's arms and put a lot of research and data into that and have them kind of on a long list and working right down that list to get them where they need to be.
GVS: In terms of reception here in the United States they're. Some people don't want it at all. The anti vaccines, but there are all but most people do want it and they're standing in line or trying to get on list to get it And the supply just has not yet met the demand. What are you finding in terms of in other like in the African continent? Are people lining up to get it or are you still trying to get them to persuade them that this is a wise thing to do?
MN: Well, a little bit of both Right. So, you know, our population is no different than what you find in other countries. There are a lot of people who are desperate for it and in getting in line and want to have it and other people are going to have to work on the hesitancy issue. You know, we work on that every day anyway. Even hesitancy about childhood vaccines we know that's an issue here in the US that it's an issue in countries where we were. We do lots of community information, call in community leaders to help promote vaccines and we're continuing to do that around covid as well. I saw an interview yesterday with a health worker in Malawi who had gotten her vaccine and she's been through what she's been through in the past year in her hospital, mirrors what health workers in her own country have been through. And to see the joy on her face about getting this vaccine which came through our supply chain and through COVX partnership, just really made me proud of the work that we're doing.
GVS: Sir thank you very much for joining me and thank you to UNICEF. I've been a big fan of UNICEF for a long time.
MN: Thank you so much.
[[GRETA]]
THE UNITED STATES …
SAYS IT PLANS TO LOAN …
FOUR MILLION DOSES …
OF THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE …
TO ITS NEIGHBORS …
CANADA AND MEXICO.
IT COMES AS THE U.S. …
WORKS WITH MEXICO …
TO REDUCE THE RISING …
NUMBER OF PEOPLE …
TRYING TO ILLEGALLY CROSS …
THE BORDER.
THE U.S. IS COMING UNDER …
INCREASED SCRUTINY…
FOR NOT SHARING …
ITS SUPPLY OF VACCINE.
MEANWHILE, CHINA AND RUSSIA …
ARE NOT LETTING …
A DIPLOMATIC OPPORTUNITY …
SLIP AWAY …
BECOMING MAJOR …
VACCINE SUPPLIERS …
TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
WE HAVE TWO REPORTS …
FIRST FROM VOA …
SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT …
CINDY SAINE.
[[SAINE PKG]]
((Video in Frame, Saine In Progress, AFP 9432Y4: little girl getting vaccinated in La Paz clinic, people clapping, indigenous woman in traditional clothing getting vaccinated, holding her certificate, close up of supplies and and needles))
((NAT SOUND-CLAPPING))
((NARRATOR))
Hope has arrived at this clinic in La Paz, Bolivia, in the form of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines from China.
Bolivia, like other Latin American countries, has been ravaged by COVID-19.
((Video: in Saine In Progress: URY_PandemicVaccines_93V227, first batch of Chinese vaccine arrives in Montevideo, Uruguay, plane landing, cargo unloaded over to 1:05 where you see the boxes being stored with “SINOVAC”, in Frame, AFP 93T94N: Airport footage in Argentina of vaccines arriving from China, plane landing, cargo being unloaded, officials watching))
China says it plans to provide vaccines to 53 countries, including many in Latin America, and to make inoculation accessible and affordable.
((Video: In Saine In Progress: AFP 94K6PN: Biden walks into veterans vaccine clinic, greets everyone, watches a woman get a shot ready and administer it, over to Biden SOT: https://app.frame.io/projects/107d8a33-963a-48f0-9001-585725df7d34/47ef73e4-9114-42a3-b17f-8e012beef5f6))
President Joe Biden says he is focusing on getting the vaccines to all eligible Americans before exporting it. But his administration is increasingly facing questions about why the U.S. is not sharing its vaccine supplies with its neighbors, especially warehoused doses of the AstraZeneca shot, which has not been approved for use in the United States.
((Video:MRT today: ([VOA] Central Published > Central Thursday 3-18 > MRT CLIPS > White House Briefing / Press Secretary Psaki / HUD Secretary Fudge) TC: 12;58;06;14 MRT PSAKI we have 7 million releasable doses of astrazeneca
Psaki B-roll walking to podium and SOT: MRT White House))
Now the White House says the administration plans to share some doses of AstraZeneca, first with neighbors Canada and Mexico.
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
“I can confirm that we have 7 million releasable doses available of AstraZeneca….2.5 million of those we are working to finalize plans to lend those to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada.”
((Video: in Saine In Progress, NO Access Chinese mainland-CCTV: 8181933, Beijing square, China flag, Chinese factory producing boxes of vaccine))
Experts say China’s much larger-scale sharing of medical supplies, after the pandemic originated in Wuhan, has given Beijing a diplomatic boost - and also “soft power” leverage in Mexico, Brazil and other developing nations.
((RADIO TRACK: Trevor Sutton is with the Center for American Progress in Washington))
((Trevor Sutton, Center for American Progress))
((Mandatory Skype Courtesy))
((Video: in Frame, VOA Video Share, tcsutton, TC: 00:03:53 - 00:04:27 ]
“China has been able to contain the pandemic within its borders more effectively than the United States and other Western democracies and that means there's less demand for the vaccine in China and gives the Chinese government more breathing room to send vaccines abroad.”
((Video: AP Video ID: 4316356-South Korea US, March 17, shots of Secretary of State Blinken walking with his counterpart in Seoul))
((NARRATOR))
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while visiting Asia, cautioned there are “strings attached” to China’s medical diplomacy, and most experts agree there is nothing “soft” about China’s approach.
((RADIO TRACK: “….and most experts such as Benjamin Gedan at the Wilson Center agree there is nothing “soft” about China’s approach.” ))
((Video: in Frame, VOA Video Share, Gedan SOT: https://app.frame.io/projects/ae30dd8f-b6c4-418a-b02d-530603115a58, TC: 00:09:13 - 00:10:26))
((Benjamin Gedan, Wilson Center))
((Mandatory Skype Video Courtesy))
“The way the Chinese are handling the vaccine distribution is not from a real magnanimous humanitarian attitude, but a pretty aggressive approach that essentially demands that Huawei get access to telecommunications auctions in Latin America, that Taiwan be held at arm's length throughout the region.”
((Video: in Saine In Progress: AFP USA PandemicEducation-94B4F4, soldiers directing lines of cars in LA, soldiers administering vaccines, wide shot of a big area of tents, more soldiers giving vaccines to Americans in cars))
((NARRATOR))
Biden says he wants all American adults to be able to register for a vaccine by May first, and he hopes people will be able to safely gather in small groups again for the July 4th U.S. Independence Day holiday. Experts say once that happens, the U.S. will likely become a major exporter of vaccines around the world.
((Cindy Saine, VOA News))
[[CROSSROLL TO MAYNES PACKAGE]]
((NARRATOR))
This is Charles Maynes in Moscow. In the global battle against COVID 19, Russia’s Sputnik V has emerged as a key choice among countries scrambling for access to life saving vaccines.
((NAT SOUND))
((Mandatory cg: ‘Sputnik V’))
((YouTube logo ))
A glitzy social media campaign by its manufacturer backs the push.
((Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund (IN ENGLISH))
((Mandatory cg: ‘Sputnik V’))
((YouTube logo ))
“So today is a great victory. A victory not just for Russia but for the whole world as we are fighting the pandemic, and we use this “V” sign to celebrate our victory.”
((NARRATOR))
Sputnik V appears to have defied early skeptics…
A recent independent review showed the vaccine with an efficacy rate of over 90%.
It’s a triumph of Russian soft power, say some observers…so long as the Kremlin manages to keep geopolitics out of the way.
((Konstantin Sonin, Russian Higher School of Economics (IN ENGLISH) ))
((Mandatory Skype ID ))
“Whenever the image is ‘this is great because we’re beating Pfizer and Moderna…’ this doesn’t actually help Russia’s image. So, people care about getting the vaccine, not about Russia beating the United States.”
((NARRATOR))
Russia’s unique vaccine diplomacy has been particularly on display in Latin America…where Russia has promised millions of doses to much fanfare.
That the deals come against the backdrop of American drug manufacturers struggling to meet their own export quotas to the region only adds geopolitical dividends, say leading area experts.
((Dmitry Rozental, Russian Academy of Sciences (MALE RUSSIAN) ))
“Latin America is important to Russian foreign policy……both in terms of gaining access to significant markets and making political allies amid a larger confrontation with the countries of the collective West.”
((NARRATOR))
Less clear… whether Russia’s promises to the world come at the expense of needs at home…
Vaccines are widely available in Moscow. But distribution to Russia’s heartland presents a more complicated picture.
In Novosibirsk, the main urban hub in Siberia, residents pride themselves on an ethos of independence…burnished by a cold and unforgiving climate.
Yet local healthcare workers say amid a deadly pandemic, the mass vaccination effort in the area has struggled to keep pace.
((Tatiana Ivleva, Chief Specialist for Vaccines, Novosibirsk (FEMALE RUSSIAN) ))
((Mandatory skype))
“The number of those hoping to get vaccinated outnumbers those we can provide them to. So, people will have to wait…”
((NARRATOR))
But public skepticism may prove the larger problem…
A recent poll suggests nearly two-thirds of Russians refuse to take the Sputnik V vaccine altogether…a reflection — analysts say — of overexposure to years of state media crackling with conspiracies.
((Ilya Yablokov, Media Analyst (IN ENGLISH) ))
((Mandatory cg: Skype ))
“The central reason…the key reason here…is that the government was spreading distrust…in all sorts of things.”
((NARRATOR))
The irony: when it comes to Sputnik V, past lies have cast doubt on today’s very real scientific achievements…
…and it may keep Russians from recognizing a good thing when it’s just a shot away.
((CHARLES MAYNES, FOR VOA NEWS, MOSCOW))
[[GRETA]]
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION …
HAS BEEN IN THE MIDDLE ...
OF THE COVID CRISIS …
FROM ITS MARCH 2020 …
DECLARATION OF A PANDEMIC …
TO ITS LEADERSHIP POSITION ...
OF THE COVAX FACILITY.
VOA’S LINORD MOUDOU [[ LEE-NOR MOO-DOO]]
SPOKE TO THE W.H.O. …
DIRECTOR GENERAL ...
ABOUT PREPARING ...
FOR THE NEXT PANADEMIC.
[[STOP]]
[[SOT]
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director-general:
“A lesson in the past year, not only the national capacity in terms of preparedness and focus on signs and helping politics to support signs, but also the global coordination has to be strengthened. And also the you know when we say global coordination, starting from early strengthening, from early warning systems.
Before even COVID, we were we have started transformation in WHO. And based on this experience, we will add more ideas to improve our system.
And we have many mechanisms now, several mechanisms that is helping us to evaluate the situation in this pandemic and understand the lessons and then incorporate them into our systems, be it at national, regional or global level for future preparedness.”
[[GRETA]]
SO FAR THIS YEAR...
ISRAEL IS ONE OF THE LEADERS...
IN MASS VACCINATION EFFORTS,
WITH THE LATEST NUMBERS...
SHOWING JUST OVER HALF...
OF THE POPULATION...
IS FULLY VACCINATED.
AT THE SAME TIME...
THE COUNTRY IS...
COMING UNDER SCRUTINY...
AS MANY PALESTINIANS...
IN THE REGION...
HAVE FACED DIFFICULTY...
ACCESSING VACCINES.
VOA’S LINDA GRADSTEIN...
TELLS US MORE...
FROM JERUSALEM.
[[STOP]]
[[PKG/GRADSTEIN]]
((NARRATOR))
The stream of Palestinian workers did not stop coming at this checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Some arrived on their own, others were brought by their Israeli employers. They handed their Palestinian ID cards to the soldiers and were called in to the vaccination tents.
Inside, each worker received a shot of the Moderna COVID vaccine from the Israeli health service and a piece of paper with a date for the second vaccine dose.
The workers seemed thrilled to receive the vaccine.
((Raid Salim, Palestinian Carpenter (MALE IN HEBREW – VOA) ))
“Everyone should get the vaccine to protect ourselves, our children, our families. I tell everyone they should get the vaccine if they can. We were supposed to get the Russian vaccine in the West Bank but so far it hasn’t happened.”
((NARRATOR))
Israel aims to vaccinate 8,000 workers per day over a two-week period.
But the vast majority of Palestinians have yet to get the vaccine. COVID-19 cases in the West Bank and Gaza are climbing and the Palestinian Authority has imposed restrictions and lockdowns. Human rights groups say Israel must vaccinate all Palestinians.
((Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch in Israel/Palestine, (IN ENGLISH Reuters))
“Vaccinating only Palestinians that come in contact with Israelis, and not all Palestinians living under effective Israeli rule under occupation, reinforces that to Israeli authorities, Palestinian lives only matter to the extent they affect Jewish lives.”
((NARRATOR))
Citing the Oslo Peace Agreement, Israeli officials contend it is the Palestinian Authority that is responsible for health care in the West Bank and Gaza.
But the Palestinians who came to the checkpoint to get vaccinated were more concerned about health than politics.
((Ayed Abu Saima, Palestinian Laborer (MALE IN ARABIC – VOA) ))
“It is great that Israel is giving the vaccine to Palestinian workers. It’s a matter of life and death. I come to Israel to work, and then go back to my family in the West Bank. I wish my whole family could get vaccinated here.”
((NARRATOR))
Israeli officials say that if the Palestinian Authority asks for help with its general vaccination program, Israel will cooperate.
((Linda Gradstein, for VOA News, at the Jerusalem-Bethlehem Checkpoint ))
[[GRETA]]
FINDINGS FROM …
A NEW MEDICAL TRIAL …
IN THE U.S. …
SHOW THE ASTRAZENECA …
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE ...
IS 79-PERCENT EFFECTIVE …
PREVENTING COVID SYMPTOMS …
AND 100-PERCENT EFFECTIVE …
AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE …
AND HOSPITALIZATION.
AND EUROPE’S …
MEDICINES INSTITUTE CLEARED …
THE ASTRAZENECA SHOT …
FROM CONCERNS ABOUT …
BLOOD CLOTS.
IT IS THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE …
THAT IS MOST DISTRIBUTED …
BY COVAX TO AFRICA.
SOME HEALTHCARE WORKERS …
SAY VACCINE HESITANCY …
AND MISTRUST …
IS SLOWING PROGRESS ...
AMONG VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
DR. LINDA MOBULA IS AN …
INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN …
AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR …
AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.
I ASKED HER ABOUT...
THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES ...
OF COMBATING VACCINE HESITANCY ...
ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.
((STOP))
[[MOBULA INTERVIEW]]
GVS= Greta Van Susteren
LM= Dr. Linda Mobula
LM: Some of the reasons for the vaccine hesitancy has been due to fear, has been due to questions about side effects, as well as general distrust towards the outside world.I think there needs to be a lot that needs to happen regarding vaccine hesitancy, specifically focusing on community engagement efforts and miscommunication, bringing clarity on what the side effects are with the efficacy of the vaccine is, in addition to engaging with local leaders, community leaders religious leaders, in order to better engage with the population, but also to really listen to the community and to understand their concerns a little bit better.
GVS: How bad is the covid problem been in Congo?
LM: So the covid pandemic started in March of 2020, and since then, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has registered more than twenty seven thousand cases. The case fatality rate is estimated at two point six percent. And Congo is experiencing a second wave of cases, as many other countries, since late last year. There's been a significant decline in the number of cases, however positivity rates have remained somewhat elevated at 20 percent. So though we're seeing a decline in cases, there's still a risk for resurgence and for third wave.
GVS: For the for the health care workers who are hesitant to get the vaccine are they still willing to deliver the vaccine?
LM: And this is a very good question. I think there's still a lot of work that needs to be done regarding engagement with with health care workers. community health workers as well. I think one of the things, interventions, that we're focusing on is training of health care providers to deliver the vaccine. And I think if you're not able to convince health care workers, it's much more difficult to convince the general population. and generally most health care workers I would say on average about 20 to 30 percent have said that they are not willing to accept the vaccine based on the study by UNICEF. And one of the major concerns has been questions about side effects as well as efficacy. And so those are the two things that we need to focus on when engaging with health care providers.
GVS: Is the government engaging with Covax in a sense, in a public marketing campaign to talk about the vaccine? Are government officials getting the vaccine in public so that people could see that the government officials are doing and to try to sort of bring down the hesitancy?
LM: Absolutely that's a priority, communicating about the vaccine, engaging with the community ensuring that public officials receive it first has been a priority for the government. In fact, the minister of health has agreed to be the first one to receive the vaccine once it's launched in the next coming days or weeks. And so that's a really important factor. And that was something we learned from the Ebola outbreak as well. When the Ebola vaccine, the Merck vaccine was utilized, it was really important that government officials, that public figures receive the vaccine to gain trust from the community.
GVS: is there any sort of sense where you are that that the Congo or other parts of the African continent are not getting what they should get? Or are they feeling cheated in some way or what's sort of the sentiment?
LM: So the Africa CDC recommends that most countries target 60 percent of the population in order to achieve herd immunity. in the DRC, for example, there might be enough vaccine for twenty five percent of the population. Covax is going to provide up to 20 percent in terms of targeting of the population. And the World Bank is going to purchase vaccines for up to five percent as part of phase one. The African Union also plans on procuring vaccines, but most African countries in addition to receiving vaccines from the Covax facility, are required to have bilateral agreements with manufacturers, with other governments. And so in order to achieve the 60 percent, there is a huge need for these countries to receive vaccines from other countries, in addition to those that they will receive from from Covax.
GVS: the United States has changed, I think, forever. It may be that we don't have to do social distancing and we may get rid of the pandemic. But but do you feel sort of culturally things have changed. Do you have that sense where you are?
LM: Absolutely, Greta, I think one of the biggest impact has been on the economy in addition to the loss of lives. Covid-19 has exacerbated poverty risks and tens of millions of people will basically revert into extreme poverty. And this will reverse some of the gains that have been made over the past couple of decades. I think with regards to the impact on health systems, there's been decreased service utilization. There has been an increase in gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Schools have closed, people have lost their livelihoods. Heads of households have reported increased unemployment according to surveys done by the World Bank. And I think the impact of social distancing has been felt in a very significant way, not always being able to see family. It has changed everything I think. And that that shift in terms of culture and and the social practices I think has had a huge impact.
GVS:Doctor thank you very much for joining me.
LM: Thank you very much Greta, for having me on your show.
[[GRETA]]
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ...
HAS PLACED …
AN INCREASED BURDEN...
ON THE PHYSICAL …
AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING …
OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS.
IN NEW YORK CITY ...
ONE ARTIST IS USING ...
HIS PAINTINGS TO HONOR ...
FRONTLINE WORKERS ...
IN HIS COMMUNITY.
VOA’S ANNA RICE TELLS US MORE.
[[STOP]]
[[RICE PKG]]
((NARRATION))
Dr. Anthony Fauci didn’t make Tim Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2020. But this is how New York City artist Tim Okamura has portrayed Fauci the year the coronavirus pandemic hit.
((Tim Okamura, Artist))
“On some of them you could see him looking dejected, you could see Trump in the background talking… And it’s funny to see Fauci’s expression. And just trying to capture a certain sense of stoicism and intellect and thought, his presence in the pantheon of American personalities, of being at the forefront of this pandemic.”
((NARRATION))
Okamura has also focused on nurses.
((Tim Okamura, Artist))
“I’m living across the street from Wykoff Heights Medical Center, which is absolutely full of COVID patients. And in fact, one of the first COVID patients in New York was treated there and unfortunately passed away. I was seeing medical workers coming out of the hospital daily, I was seeing their stress and the strain that they were going through.
((NARRATION))
Okamura adjusted his art to the new reality and learned to paint face masks and gloves. He dedicated special attention to the doctors’ and nurses’ name tags because most of their faces were covered with protective equipment.
((Tim Okamura, Artist))
“But we as people want to connect with somebody, we feel like there’s some kind of a barrier between you and that person, but the eyes are where you’re going to find that interaction.”
((NARRATION))
Jenny Vee can only be recognized when you look into her eyes. When she’s at work she always wears a mask. After working a 12-hour shift at a vaccination site, she says the vaccines offer hope.
((Jenny Vee, Nurse))
“It feels great because it’s signaling an end to a pandemic hopefully, and sooner rather than later. And it’s nice to see that people are coming in for it and are excited to get it, as excited as we are to give it.”
((NARRATION))
NYU Langone Health lowered its flags to honor the COVID victims. Back in May after Vee worked long hours fighting COVID, she found it hard to calm down during her two-hour drive home.
That’s when Okamura met her.
((Jenny Vee, Nurse))
“We were never taught at med school how to handle a pandemic, so when it hit, we were scared ourselves. We all have families, young children, elderly parents, and when the pandemic hit, we were trying to figure out how to get by day by day…”
((NARRATION))
Vee says while COVID vaccines are a light at the end of the tunnel – the tunnel is very long. She hasn’t seen Okamura’s portrait of her yet – just a picture on Instagram.
When it’s safe to do so, Okamura will give it to her as a gift – like he will gift the other portraits of medical workers as a way to give thanks and remember the pandemic’s toll on human lives.
((For Vladimir Lenski in New York, Anna Rice, VOA News))
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