TY - JOUR T1 - Oxygen Inequity in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00360 VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - e2200360 AU - Madeline Ross AU - Sarah K. Wendel Y1 - 2023/02/28 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/11/1/e2200360.abstract N2 - Key MessagesThe longstanding inequity in access to supplemental medical oxygen therapy became particularly critical in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.Supplemental medical oxygen is an important indicator of the success of the global pandemic response, given that it is the single most important medication for treating COVID-19.Improvements in medical oxygen supply must be prioritized to prevent unnecessary morbidity and mortality.Expedited solutions must be balanced with locally led and context-specific sustainability planning that consider durable, meaningful change in oxygen sourcing and supply infrastructures.By the end of 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) had reported more than 6.2 million deaths worldwide due to COVID-19.1 This is likely not an accurate representation of the true attributable global death toll, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Even before the onset of COVID-19, lower respiratory tract infections or pneumonia remained the largest cause of death due to communicable diseases worldwide.2 Given that a fraction of these deaths was likely preventable with adequate oxygen therapy, there has been a longstanding but urgent need to assess and radically alter the mechanisms for oxygen supply. Thus, the goal of creating equitable, universal access to the “single most important medicine” for treating COVID-193 has been at the core of the current crisis response and will remain crucial to ultimately achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.4The preexisting deficit of medical oxygen in resource-limited settings has been markedly compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.5,6 Together, oxygen-requiring pathologies like pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary hypertension, asthma, and neonatal respiratory syndrome account for 1.75 million deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).7 While needs have varied across epidemiological waves, the WHO estimates that approximately 15%–20% of patients with COVID-19 illness require supplemental oxygen therapy.8 Furthermore, a 10-country retrospective analysis in Africa … ER -