KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (NNN-Bernama) — The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies are united in their call to close health gaps and ensure that everyone in the region has access to safe and affordable healthcare.
These are the key factors towards achieving sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and bringing back prosperity to the people.
“The pandemic has been with us for 20 months, and the world is still adjusting to the uncertainty it brings and the constant way the virus changes.
“One thing that is certain, however, is that good health and economic prosperity are interdependent,” said New Zealand’s Health Minister, Andrew Little.
He said this at the 11th APEC High-Level Meeting on Health and the Economy on Tuesday against the backdrop of a resurgence in COVID-19 infections globally due to the highly transmissible Delta variant, which highlighted the disparity in health systems’ capacity and vaccination coverage.
In a statement, Little underlined the importance of close cooperation and coordinated response in confronting the unprecedented and long-lasting health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic, urging members to step up collaborations in ensuring health equity.
“We can see that the COVID-19 toll has not been borne equally worldwide — either between countries or within countries. The poorest have been hardest hit.
“We must work together, both within APEC and more widely, to put equity at the heart of all efforts to combat COVID-19,” he said.
Vaccination coverage across APEC is noticeably diverse, ranging from 148 doses per 100 residents to a low of only one dose per 100 residents.
As a result, the rate of fully vaccinated individuals across economies varies greatly, from as low as 0.2 per cent to as high as 72 per cent of the population as of mid-August.
Little said international trade forums are critical to safeguard the equitable supply of vaccines and related COVID-19 therapeutic products, and reflected on the advancements made in this area.
“This year, we are taking action to strengthen international supply chains for COVID-19 vaccines and related goods, to ensure their swift and efficient distribution.
“It is vital for us to strengthen our collective efforts and that we help facilitate increased manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and related products,” he added.
The high-level meeting also focused on the impact of COVID-19 on women and vulnerable groups.
APEC is an inter-governmental forum comprising 21 member economies, including Malaysia, which aims to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.
— NNN-BERNAMA