Since then, countries have been announcing donations of millions of surplus doses.

Although considered, by some, insufficient to tackle the challenge ahead of delivering at least 1 billion doses by the end of the year, those donations are welcome and require urgent logistics.

Coupled with the efforts to increase the supply and production at short notice for the poorest nations, they could help curb the spread of the virus by early 2022.

As emerging economies gear up for the next wave of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, countries and experts need to share and exchange on what works and why.

During this panel discussion, a group of leaders from the World Health Organization, the Africa Medical Supplies Platform and the Brazilian Society of Infectious Disease, with experience from the field and deep expertise on COVID-19 vaccine management share their thoughts on procurement and distribution in emerging economies: what could have been handled better, the resources available to improve countries' readiness for vaccine deployment and the path forward.

Moderator:

• Jaqueline Escotero, Regional Vice President, LATAM, World Courier

Panelists:

• Maricel Castro, Technical Officer for EPI, World Health Organization
• Uchenna Chidi-Anene, Client Relations Manager, Africa Medical Supplies Platform
• Remo Hanselmann, Managing Director, South Africa & Kenya, World Courier
• Dr Rosana Richtmann, Infectious Disease Physician from Emílio Ribas Institute, Director of the Immunization Committee from the Brazilian Society of Infectious Disease and PhD by Freiburg University, Germany

Access this recording to understand:

• Setting the stage: Emerging economies need more vaccines and need it faster
• Case study: COVID-19 vaccine distribution in West Africa
• Requirements: What do the countries and health systems need to plan for?
• Failings to avoid: Ensuring a scalable, reliable and secure supply chain.
• Next steps: What are the risks to identify and the key preventative actions needed to minimize disruptions?