Op-ed : By emulating Bahrain’s Covid-response globally we can end this pandemic

For the third year in a row, COVID-19 looms over our global experience. We are wearied by a virus that mocks us at every turn: receding and giving us hope one moment; resurging with a vengeance the next. The spread of the Omicron variant has been a particularly cruel blow, making its appearance close to the New Year, usually a festive time when we look to new horizons and leave the past behind. Instead, we continue to endure this tragic pandemic, as unwelcome as it is seemingly unrelenting.

Yet we are not powerless. Far from it. This year, unlike two years ago, we confront the pandemic with a veritable arsenal of vaccines at our disposal: Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, , Sinopharm, among others – all of them developed in record time, is a testament to what human ingenuity and collective can achieve.

We must now approach vaccine distribution with the same energy and commitment we brought to bear in developing them. In this task, we can turn to examples of countries that have done this at the national level, so we can emulate their success globally. That is our path out of this pandemic. 

The Kingdom of Bahrain is one example of a country that has run a highly successful vaccination programme. I am currently undertaking an official visit to the country, from 22-25 January, at the invitation of its government. While here, I think it apt to highlight why its programme has been so effective, because it underscores why I have made global vaccination such an important priority for this session.

From the very beginning, Bahrain placed its trust in science and in the medical community, by deferring to the World Health Organization and approving all COVID-19 vaccines authorized by that body. It began offering shots of the vaccines it had available, to all its residents - citizens and non-citizens alike, free of charge. It has thus far approved six WHO-approved vaccines for use. Bahrain, to its credit, was the first country to approve the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for emergency use.

Its quick approval of vaccines and commitment to a speedy and comprehensive vaccine rollout ensured it achieved one of the highest vaccination rates in the region. It has now fully vaccinated two-thirds of its population and provided a booster shot to over half of them. This has helped the country maintain a manageable caseload and avert the level of tragedy that befell countries with lower vaccination rates. 

Note that having sufficient stock of vaccines is not enough. That needs to be complemented by strong distribution logistics, and awareness campaigns on vaccine efficacy.  Bahrain has been highly successful on that front as well. 

Bahrain’s medical community, front-line workers and supporting staff truly stepped up to the task. They helped deliver, distribute, and administer vaccines. They tended to the infected, helped them recover, and ensured that the country averted healthcare disasters. Critically, they helped assuage concerns relevant to vaccines and encouraged more of the public to get vaccinated.

While I am on this trip, I am accompanied by Ms Futoon Alammadi, a Bahraini national working in my office who was part of these efforts. She is among ‘15,811 front-line healthcare professionals and supporting staff’ who were presented with the Prince Salman Bin Hamad Medical Merit award ‘in appreciation of their tireless efforts and honourable sacrifices in combatting COVID-19 and preserving public health’.[1] I am proud to have her on my team and encourage more young people to follow her example.

What we need to do now is to emulate Bahrain’s success at a global level. We must end global vaccine disparities and distribute the many vaccines we have at our disposal to all the countries that need it. Concurrently, we must encourage increasing numbers to get vaccinated and ask for the public’s help in meeting our vaccination targets.

By doing this we can ensure that we do not endure more tragedies, more heartbreak, more exhaustion – and especially more variants that could evade existing vaccines and put us back on square one.  I will continue to make these precise arguments during the High-Level Event on vaccines that I will convene on February 25th this year.  

We can only succeed with the collective support of the international community. I remain confident that we will prove equal to the challenge. We can vaccinate the world. We can defeat Covid. And we can look forward to marking the beginning of next year in a spirit of celebration, with the pandemic behind us.

[1] By Royal Order, the “Prince Salman bin Hamad Medical Merit” to be presented to 15,811 frontline healthcare professionals and supporting staff (pmo.gov.bh)