Widespread vaccination will only be possible if Southeast Asian countries muster all the resources available to reach the last mile, said experts during the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2021.

During the panel, "Immunization for All: Providing COVID-19 Vaccines across Southeast Asia," the experts also cautiously projected the return to "somewhat normal" by late 2022 or early 2023 as countries continue to roll out their vaccination programs and as long as the spread of COVID-19 variants do not lead to spikes in infection rate.

Speakers:

• Patrick L. Osewe, Chief, Health Sector Group, ADB

• Myrna Cabotaje, Undersecretary, Department of Health, Philippines

• Ruth Karron, Professor, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Director, Center for Immunization Research

• Suresh Jadhav, Executive Director, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.

• Jin Seon Park, Vice-President, Global Business Development, SK Bioscience

• Lisa Oake, CNBC Catalyst (moderator)

SEADS 2021, Innovation through Collaboration: Planning for an Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery, was held on 17–18 March.