Vaccine Nationalism Threatens Global Sustainability – David Zaikin

 

Wealthy countries that fail to ensure COVID-19 vaccinations in developing nations risk reversing gains for a global sustainable future.

David Zaikin: Local authorities distribute doses of the Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 at a hospital in Fredonia, Colombia, on March 10, 2021.

The global pandemic response has exposed an unsettling trend. Wealthier nations have been accused of hoarding vaccines – in some cases five times more than they need – while poorer countries could wait years for lifesaving immunization. A massive 90% of people in 67 low-income countries may not get immunized in 2021, largely due to higher-income countries taking more than they need. It reads like a dystopian novel.

While Europe and North America have carried out a combined 123 million vaccinations, the entire African continent has administered just under 3 million, with many African countries facing a long wait to receive any doses. This follows a stark address from the World Health Organization's director-general, who noted in mid-January that only 25 doses had been given in one low-income country in Africa, and warned that the world is on the verge of "catastrophic moral failure."

For richer countries, failing to look beyond their own interests is counterproductive and will delay the world's victory against COVID-19. It would also precipitate another crisis – without equal and fast distribution of vaccines to the most vulnerable nations, we're undoing decades of progress toward a sustainable future and a level playing field.

MORE: An Opportunity to Improve Global Development

While new coronavirus variants intensified pressure on governments to prioritize vaccinating their own populations, it doesn't have to be an either/or scenario. Norway has shown the way to manage both simultaneously – setting out plans for its domestic program as well as donating surplus vaccine doses to countries in need.

The worldwide inoculation that we all want calls for immediate and multilateral action. That means a bigger push for cooperation between governments, industry bodies and Big Pharma to accelerate the equitable rollout of affordable vaccines.

Bridging the Widening Wealth Gap

Even before COVID-19, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated an annual financing shortfall of trillions of dollars to reach the Sustainable Development Goals – a collection of global goals set by the U.N. intended to improve living conditions around the world – the goals were stymied by the pandemic's impact on resources. Delayed vaccinations will impact the development of self-sustaining economies even more, widening the wealth gap and diminishing those states' ability to navigate future crises.

The World Bank predicts as many as 150 million more people could plunge into extreme poverty this year. That's a devastating step backward. In the battle against the pandemic, we can't afford to forget our objectives to end poverty and ensure healthy lives. Read more----->>>>>