Global youth advocating for COVID-19 vaccines for all

Abstract

globally there were more than 212 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 4 million deaths from COVID-19. 1 Current infections are driven by SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in largely unvaccinated populations. [2][3][4] As of Aug 24, 2021, the global distribution of more than 5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses reveals gross disparities in vaccine access: the EU and North America received 727 million and 547 million doses, respectively; Asia received 3 billion doses; South America received 336 million doses, while Africa received 93 million doses, translating into a vaccine coverage rate below 1%. 5 Richer countries continue to secure and hoard vaccines leaving lowincome and middle-income countries behind.Although not often highlighted, youth have had an important role in COVID-19 response efforts during the pandemic. The Global Shapers Community, a group of young changemakers spread across 450 hubs around the world, convened a group of more than 250 community members in over 60 countries who drove engagement between Fortune 500 companies, government officials, and members of multilateral entities, including WHO, involved in COVID-19 response efforts. 6 This early call to action allowed the community to formulate responses to local challenges through global best practices and insights. Furthermore, the grass-roots nature of the community allowed for prompt distribution of trusted, accurate information through a global campaign called #PreventionOverPanic. This campaign aimed to simultaneously encourage risk-mitigating activities and respond to pervasive levels of anxiety related to the pandemic. After the success of this initial effort across 70 countries, the community sought to deepen its impact by launching and supporting projects aimed at tangible outcomes globally. To date, these projects have assisted nearly 2 million beneficiaries, raised over US$500 000, and distributed over 1 million items of personal protective equipment, benefiting communities globally.Similarly, the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL), a community of 1400 members and alumni of 120 nationalities, leading initiatives across multiple sectors including business, technology, arts, government, and health, organised projects aiming for systems change. For example, a YGL led project in Siaya, Kenya, worked

Barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among older adults in Mexico City

“…Vaccines are a powerful tool to abate COVID-19 related outcomes [ 1 ]. However, vaccination campaigns have revealed important health inequities between and within countries [ 2 ]. Vaccination data from middle-and low-income countries has been scarce, and it is important to identify groups without sufficient access to vaccines to design supplementary strategies to reach them [ 3 ].…”