#VaccinEquity in 100 Days, Vaccinate women health workers — care for them so they can care for us.

By: Roopa Dhatt — Executive Director, Women in Global Health.

We must accelerate vaccine equity now for all health workers, especially for the women who comprise 70% of the health and care workforce.

The COVID-19 virus has infected over 100 million people, with nearly 2.5 million confirmed deaths in over 223 countries, areas and territories. To overcome the pandemic, the approach must remain holistic and people-centered with prevention, testing, vaccination, and treatment.

With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, there is renewed hope for some, while many fear that history will repeat itself and that health inequities will prevail and will be overlooked. So far, the picture looks grim, more than 130 million doses of vaccine have now been distributed globally, yet two-thirds of the world (130 countries) have not yet received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Just ten countries have administered 75% of all COVID-19 vaccinations.

COVID-19 has exposed deep inequities within and between countries, and the need for radical global change. This is a pivotal moment in the pandemic as the response begins to take a turn towards recovery. But viruses do not respect national borders so it is not over anywhere until it is over everywhere. There will be no global health security until we achieve vaccine equity for everyone- especially those in low- and middle-income countries where vaccinations have not yet started. Health is a human right that should not be determined by geography, race, gender or other factors we cannot control.

The Year of the Health and Care Workers 2021 brings recognition to the critical role health and care workers provide, yet this applause remains short of turning into action and tangible investments that #SupportHealthCareWorkers. We must protect and invest in all our health and care workers. The World Health Organization has launched a call to action for #VacinEquity — a declaration calling on global leaders to start by vaccinating health workers and those at high risk of COVID-19 in all countries within the first 100 days of 2021. Women in Global Health has signed the declaration, joining the call for action. Gender-related barriers impact access to care, from testing to vaccines to the delivery of care. Women health workers deliver health services to around 5 billion people. By vaccinating all women in health, we keep them safe so they can keep on delivering care for others.

With this declaration, we call on global leaders and governments to:

• Increase contributions to the COVAX facility and share doses with COVAX in parallel with national vaccine rollouts.
• Support vaccine manufacturers to share know-how to scale-up vaccine manufacturing and dramatically increase the global supply of vaccines in the coming years.
• Accelerate safe vaccine approval processes.
• Ensure Ministries of Health work with WHO and others to invest in and prepare their primary healthcare systems for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to their health workers
• Ensure governments distribute COVID-19 vaccines freely prioritising those most at risk and those most in need rather than those who can pay.
• Fulfil commitments to realise Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
• Be ambitious and work to eradicate COVID-19 everywhere.

People around the world — including the health workers who have risked their health and lives to carry us through this crisis -are counting on leaders to do what is right and smart at this pivotal moment.

Now is the time to recognize our common humanity and work in solidarity as one world. History will judge us harshly if we fail.

We now have only 50 days to reach all countries to be vaccinated. We call on our supporters, members, and allies to sign with us, to ensure EVERYONE has access to a vaccine, especially the women in the health and care workforce most affected.

We have signed the declaration — now join us.

Make your voice heard:

1. Sign the declaration here: who.int/vaccinequity .
2. Spread the word on social media using the hashtag #VaccinEquity and this social media toolkit.
3. Use our social media card to spread the word on #VaccinEquity with a gender lens.