COVID-19 prophylaxis with immunoglobulin Y (IgY) for the world population: The critical role that governments and non-governmental organizations can play

Fewer than 25% of people in low-income countries are estimated to have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose to date, in contrast to 68% of the world population [1]. Besides the local culture and social conditions that contribute to vaccine hesitancy, multiple inequities inherent to global public health complicate the ability to vaccinate against COVID-19 in lower-and middle-income countries; these include the cost of antiviral drug development, difficulties in vaccine manufacturing and distribution, non-local pro-duction, vaccine nationalism, and failure of virus-and vaccine-induced immunity to prevent transmission. There are pressing practical and ethical reasons for achieving vaccine equity [2]. However, as this goal remains elusive, there is also a critical need to develop safe, effective, easy-to-produce, and inexpensive treatments that can complement vaccinations and that can be produced locally to reduce the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection globally, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. Viral variation, even in areas with high vaccine uptake, further complicates this challenge.