Thursday
February 25
2021

Unequal COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Shows ‘It’s Business as Usual in Global Health’

By Colm Regan

Last week, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF reported that just 10 countries accounted for three-quarters of the 128 million vaccine doses administered worldwide to date.

Almost 130 countries with a population of over 2.5 billion had yet to vaccinate anyone.

Recently the director general of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned of a ‘catastrophic moral failure’ due to the consequences of vaccine nationalism as the world’s richest countries monopolise available vaccine supplies, often buying very much more than required and hoarding it.

According to Duke University Global Health Institute, as of mid-January, more than 7 billion vaccine doses had been purchased globally with the vast majority for high-income countries containing just 16 per cent of the world population. Most high-income countries now have more than 100 per cent coverage with some capable of vaccinating their populations many times over.

Photo courtesy of sergio santos.

Source: Times of Malta (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Coronavirus, Health Care
Tags
distribution