Wealthy nations have received over 16 times more COVID-19 vaccines per person than poorer nations dependent on the COVAX program backed by the World Health Organization, according to a new Financial Times analysis. COVAX, which was set up to ensure global equitable access to vaccines, has delivered only 400 million doses after promising 1.4 billion this year. Higher-income countries struck separate vaccine deals with manufacturers, leaving COVAX with less negotiating power. While the United States rolls out booster shots and stockpiles six vaccines per person, less than 3% of people in low-income countries have received at least a single dose. Infectious disease expert Dr. Monica Gandhi says she will not receive a booster as a healthcare worker because of the global vaccine inequity, and argues the push for boosters “detracts from the fact that we in no way have fulfilled a moral and ethical obligation to the world.” We also speak with Kate Elder, senior vaccines adviser for Doctors Without Borders, who says that it is a structural issue caused by global leaders who are not “equitably sharing vaccines around the world.”
So, when President Biden announced that every American should get a booster by September 20th in mid-August, it was actually a huge surprise to many infectious disease experts, for two reasons. One is that the vaccines are actually holding up extremely well, especially in those less than 65, against severe disease. And, in fact, that kind of messaging can reduce confidence in the vaccines.
The second reason was the incredible global vaccine inequity, that there are many promises made by rich countries and the administration — at the G7 meeting in early June, the rich countries pledged that there would be a 2 billion dose donation to other countries, and that hasn’t really even been touched in terms of fulfilling that pledge. And then, at high-level meetings, like
— source democracynow.org | Oct 28, 2021