Prompt 10: Top-down and bottom up innovations

     COVAX is a joint effort by many groups (UNICEF, WHO, GAVI, CEPI, National Children's Fund, and a few more) that hope to evenly distribute the vaccines by population size to countries worldwide. The idea is that money is invested early on in the vaccine production and then distributed later. The bill and Melinda gates foundation, alongside the World Bank, have donated money to the cause. COVAX is struggling to provide the promised vaccines due to a shortage of supplies. India, a large producer of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, has turned inward to deal with its own COVID outbreaks and has not exported vaccines since March. Other countries have begun to seek different ways to get vaccines. Still, the trend is those larger countries that can afford to get vaccines are getting them while smaller countries suffer. Cuba and Tanzania opted out of the program. 

    A bottom-up approach specializes in health treatment to individual communities to better target disease. In the reading, bottom-up approaches helped identify channels of influence like friends and peers that made people more likely to receive a vaccine. Also, working closely with a community established trust among marginalized people groups. Open communication is also fostered when working from the bottom up, allowing for accurate patient and health provider information. Overall livelihoods of communities are also preserved or restored. Lastly, comprehensive health care initiatives are more impactful when working with a small community.