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Join forces, vaccines belong to everyone

On July 2, 2021, at 11.30 am, had take place in live streaming the PressConference for the presentation of the final statement of the InternationalRoundtable on Vaccination, held on July 1, 2021. The Roundtablewas organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, by the World MedicalAssociation (WMA), by the German Medical Association (GMA).In the Press Conference:- H. E. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academyfor Life;Abp. Paglia said: it is important for us to join forces with all those whoshare our objectives, even if we have different beliefs from them aboutother subjects. This framework of synergy on specific objectives that areof great current importance is what the collaboration between the WorldMedical Association and the Pontifical Academy for Life is based on.

- Dr. Ramin Parsa-Parsi, Head of Department for International Affairs,German Medical Association;The best antidote for vaccine hesitancy is building trust, increasingtransparency, and addressing communication failures. As trusted voicesin the community, medical professionals play a crucial role in thisscenario. By working together with the Pontifical Academy for Life, wehope to complement our efforts to generate vaccine confidence by

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fostering awareness and fighting the spread of myths and disinformation.Furthermore, economically or politically motivated active disseminationof false information regarding the safety and effectiveness of approvedvaccines needs to be counteracted. Improving vaccine confidenceis indeed an international challenge which requires internationalengagement, including interdisciplinary collaboration of the kind we areengaging in today.

- Professor Dr Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chair of Council, World MedicalAssociation.What do we have to do next: 1) Reach underserved and underinformedcommunities in a combined effort of science, medicine and socialmultipliers such as religious communities. 2) Fight misinformation andfake-news. 3) Ensure solidarity. 4) Ensure equity.The Press Conference was in streaming: Vatican News - YouTubeChannel: https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews. Final Statement:World Medical Association, German Medical Association and PontificalAcademy for Life collaborate to promote vaccine equity and confrontvaccine hesitancyMillions around the world are still suffering the effects of the COVID-19pandemic and vaccination is widely seen as a fast and effective wayto control the spread of the virus and save human lives. Much as thecurrent pandemic has brought home the importance of vaccination, it hasalso laid bare the great inequity of access to vaccines and the dangersposed by vaccine nationalism. While many higher-income countries hadthe resources to quickly sign bilateral agreements with pharmaceuticalcompanies for promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates, this left manydeveloping countries at a disadvantage due to financial restrictions andlimitations on production capacity.Vaccine accessibility still poses great challenges in many parts of theworld, but there are also countries where vaccines are readily available butsubject to skepticism and mistrust. Vaccine hesitancy is a complex issue.Some reluctance in disadvantaged communities is rooted in historicalinequities, breaches of trust in medical research, negative experienceswith health care and suspicion about pharmaceutical companies’ behaviorfocused on profit. But a more pernicious form of vaccine hesitancy is drivenby unfounded and misleading claims and myths, including disinformationabout side effects, which are amplified by social media and other means

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of enhanced communication. Adding to this complexity is the fact thatvaccine hesitancy even exists in the medical community and somereligious groups. Vaccine hesitancy and refusal can ultimately give rise todifficult ethical questions about the tension between individual freedom ofchoice and the common good.Considered one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine,vaccines play a vital role in the prevention of infectious diseases. Theyhave been proven to avoid millions of deaths and protect millions morefrom getting sick each year. But to unlock the full innovative potential ofvaccines, action must be taken to overcome barriers to vaccine equity andto address the root causes of vaccine hesitancy.Recognizing the urgency of these issues and the essential roleinternational and cross-sectoral collaborations can play in advancingthese causes, the World Medical Association (WMA), the PontificalAcademy for Life (PAL ), and the German Medical Association (GMA)have joined forces to demand that all relevant stakeholders exhaust allefforts to:• ensure equitable global access to vaccines, which is a keyprerequisite for a successful global vaccination campaign, and• confront vaccine hesitancy by sending a clear message aboutthe safety and necessity of vaccines and counteracting vaccine myths anddisinformation.July 2nd, 2021