head of united nations for office disaster risk Shortage Mami Mizutori says Pradeep Thakur Covax is making progress toward providing 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, which should be enough to protect high-risk and vulnerable people. Excerpts from the interview: world bank It is estimated that 150 million people will fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19 in 2021. How can India reduce the impact?First of all, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the people and government of India on the tragic loss of lives across the country. All major disasters affecting low- and middle-income countries result in massive economic losses, which have detrimental effects on their ability to eradicate poverty and meet other basic needs, including access to health services and education. In the case of COVID-19, we have seen how it has pushed millions of people into extreme poverty globally, and contributed to rising levels of hunger in many parts of the world, where the informal economy on which poor people depended has been destroyed. For all Member States, poverty eradication cannot be achieved without reducing disaster risks and improving prevention because nothing undermines development like disasters.The US and some other countries have reserved enough shots for their citizens. Should India have done the same?Much of the world looks to India for vaccine supplies, but the pharmaceutical supply chain is very complex and specialized to such an extent that serving a population the size of India has always been a difficult task. India already has a high number of vaccinations but it will take time to produce enough doses to reach more than a billion people.How much success did the United Nations’ Covax program achieve?The COVAX Facility portfolio administered by Gavi currently includes agreements related to eight vaccines, including vaccines in development Serum Institute of India. Coordinated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Epidemic Preparedness Innovation Coalition and WHO, COVAX is making steady progress towards providing 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, which should be enough to protect high-risk and vulnerable people, as well as frontline health workers.The second wave of Covid-19 in India has led to more deaths. Where did it go wrong?COVID-19 demonstrates the systemic nature of disaster risk, how a biological threat can devastate all spheres of life, from public health to all socio-economic aspects of our society. Unfortunately, many countries, including India, are learning the hard way that containment requires more patience than before and, in the case of biological threats, a longer plan. WHO has warned that when there are large-scale gatherings, more contagious variants emerge and vaccination coverage is still low, it could create a perfect storm for the virus to spread in any country. India has done a commendable job in using technology and communication to ensure effective early warning for prompt action in case of cyclones. The challenge now for the government is to communicate effectively on the continued need for face masks, social distancing and avoiding mass gatherings, as well as roll out an effective vaccination programme.Your view on the ‘global response to future pandemics’ and vaccine distribution?If global preparedness for this pandemic had matched the warnings, the impact could have been reduced to a great extent. An adequate level of pandemic preparedness would cost billions and trillions, not the trillions it is costing now. The loss of life and economic disruption could have been significantly reduced if we had been adequately prepared from the moment biological threats were included in the Sendai Framework in 2015. Given the cross-border nature of biological threats, it is clear that a global response plan is needed for future pandemics. The patchwork response is not working for COVID-19, and it will not work against any new emerging diseases and viruses in the future. It is not acceptable that developing countries have to wait so long for COVID vaccines. This inequality and lack of solidarity to access affordable vaccines only fuels the spread of the virus, allowing the emergence of new variants and prolonging the pandemic. None of us are safe until we are all safe.With Covid disruptions, can countries like India meet UN demands? sustainable development goals Target?It is clear that the number of deaths and economic losses from COVID-19 means that the Sendai Framework’s goals of reducing mortality, the number of people affected by disasters, and economic losses have been dealt a major blow. However, we are still making significant progress on other goals. Asia and the Pacific are not on track to achieve any of the SDGs.