Publication: Digital Connectivity as an Enabler for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment
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Date
2022
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2022
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Pathways to a green, resilient, and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic begin with global vaccination efforts. Accelerating vaccine equity can save lives and drive a faster and fairer trajectory for economies both rich and poor. According to the United Nations, low-income countries would add US38 billion dollars to their GDP forecast for 2021 if they had the same vaccination rate as high-income countries. Inequities in manufacturing, scale-up, and distribution currently jeopardize prospects for global economic recovery, as new variants take hold and adversely impact the health and economic prospects of the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Digital connectivity can play an essential role in scaling up and facilitating vaccine delivery, when deployed with attention to existing digital divides. In this context, digital connectivity is an important and cost-effective complement to existing vaccination programs against COVID-19. It allows countries to leverage digital technologies to accelerate and monitor vaccination efforts. Governments, development organizations, and healthcare institutions have an opportunity to bridge both vaccine inequities and enhance access to basic services delivery, setting the stage for a robust economic recovery. This note provides an overview of the role of connectivity in vaccine delivery efforts, and potential short-term solutions to provide Internet access in areas where DSL, cable and fiber networks are out of reach. It includes implementation considerations and highlights some alternative low-tech solutions when connectivity cannot be achieved in the short-term. Its intent is not to provide recommendations on ways to design or implement universal access policies and programs, but rather more immediate measures that can facilitate vaccine delivery.
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“World Bank. 2022. Digital Connectivity as an Enabler for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/38415 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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