Red Cross Federation calls on to stock up on vaccines in case of new pandemics

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has recommended that the world community create a global reserve of vaccines for future pandemics, Report informs referring to an IFRC report.

“Governments need to prepare for the next pandemic by establishing an international ‘vaccine bank’ which ensures the availability and distribution of vaccines, equitably in all regions of the world,” reads the report.

The world community should give priority in immunization or provision of medicines to those who, during the pandemic, provide the population with food, medical care, and work in the fields of information and education. The IFRC believes that the communication campaign during the pandemic should be carried out by a “supranational body.”

The IFRC report is based on a survey of 16,027 people working with 90 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. They were asked to share their views on the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved healthcare, education, transport workers, representatives of non-governmental organizations, business and the media.

More than half of respondents said they had a positive assessment of their governments’ performance during the pandemic. About 70% reported that they were very afraid of getting sick from COVID, and more than half suffered material losses. The vast majority said that they were not included in the priority groups for vaccination, despite their high professional importance during the pandemic. Nearly half of those working in healthcare and media felt discriminated against in their work.