ASEAN Capacity for Vaccine Research and Development and Production

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the ASEAN region, which has recorded over 27 million cases of the virus. Access to COVID-19 vaccination has significantly reduced the spread of the disease and limited the number of severe COVID-19 cases, but it has also impacted routine immunization coverage. Countless strategies have been developed to ensure vaccine equity, which were swiftly translated from political assessment to practical action; however, they failed to address the sustained growth of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of variants of concerns, requiring ongoing vaccine booster doses. The pandemic revealed weaknesses in ASEAN's regional vaccine capacity, including in research and development, manufacturing infrastructure and human resources, which made the region particularly vulnerable during COVID-19 surges, as it was highly dependent on vaccine imports. Despite the existence of an established framework for ASEAN collaboration on vaccines, there has been minimal coordination between member states to collectively procure COVID-19 vaccines. Initial consultations with various stakeholders involved in vaccination and equitable access in the ASEAN region highlighted several gaps related to ensuring a sustained supply of quality vaccines throughout the life cycle, as well as several critical areas that require immediate attention. The political commitment to address these issues has been shaped by the evolving pandemic scenarios. The ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance (AVSSR) initiative was launched just before the COVID-19 pandemic began and was agreed upon and endorsed by the region's ten leaders during the 34th ASEAN Summit in November 2019. Future regional strategies, policies and plans must ensure consistency with this important ASEAN initiative.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Report biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC: World Bank 2023-06-16
Subjects:	COVID-19, VACCINE, ASEAN REGION,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099061623000041573/P17809207abd440ae0be820aced53cba398 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40377
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