In recent weeks, wealthy countries have secured massive quantities of supply for the covid-19 vaccine, but the global demand cannot be met without access to vaccines for poorer nations. In a major setback to global efforts to protect everyone from the ravages of covid-19, the world’s leading makers of vaccines kept hundreds of millions of dollars in advance payments for canceled shots destined for the poorest countries.
Rich nations’ stockpiling
Rich nations have stockpiled billions of vaccine doses, raising fears that poorer countries may be left behind in the race to vaccinate the world population against covid-19. Vaccine makers, who have been profiting from the pandemic, agreed to supply vaccines to low-income countries in exchange for large advance payments. However, they have reportedly withheld or canceled shipments made in anticipation of reimbursement, despite being paid.
Unfair distribution of vaccines
The withholding of the prepaid vaccines has been criticized as an unfair distribution of the vaccines. This is particularly galling given that poorer countries, lacking in resources and scientific expertise, are most in need of the protection that the vaccine can provide.
Global solidarity
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an immediate halt to vaccine hoarding and greed, urging countries to practice “global solidarity” in the fight against the pandemic. It has urged countries to contribute to the COVAX initiative, which works to ensure equitable access to vaccines and diagnostics around the world.
The way forward
The global community needs to address issues of access and affordability. It must ensure that all countries, regardless of their economic level, have access to the vaccine and the means to pay for it. As long as some countries are able to secure large quantities of vaccines while others are unable to provide even basic protection for their citizens, the pandemic will persist.
The world must come together to overcome this pandemic through collaboration, cooperation, and a commitment to global solidarity. Only by doing so can we ensure that everyone has access to their fair share of vaccines. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have devastating effects all over the world, manufacturers of vaccines have been accused of keeping payments for shots intended for poorer nations which have been unable to complete the delivery of said vaccines due to the rising pandemic. This comes after reports of pharmaceutical companies and some governments charging economies for orders of vaccines before any delivery of the doses occur, refusing to return the payment for those canceled orders.
This news has sparked the interest of international organizations who voiced concern over the potential risk that this kind of business practice may have on poorer nations in their efforts to combat the pandemic and secure access to vaccines. According to the World Health Organization, as of April 2021, as many as 100 countries were behind in their vaccine delivery plans, having not yet attained the volume of vaccine doses they initially planned to.
This has been of particular concern to countries in the African continent where the population has been heavily hit by the pandemic, yet has had limited access to the vaccine. According to data from the African Union, while 37 percent of the population in China has been vaccinated, only 0.2 percent of the African continent population has been reached through the vaccine. This is in part due to pre-payment demands on countries that are being denied the return of the money for the canceled shots.
The outrage caused by this news has prompted the United Nations (UN) to call for a law from the World Trade Organization curbing the transfer of funds from poorer countries for canceled vaccine deliveries. The WHO COVAX also issued a statement condemning this practice, stressing of its unfair effects on those in need and their limited access to vaccines.
The vaccine access crisis perpetuated by the inability to secure payment for canceled orders is a reality for countries in the developing world for whom vaccine cost can already be a hindrance. It is of critical consequence for those nations to receive the necessary support in the pursuit of access to COVID-19 vaccines, in order to ensure an effective way of controlling the spread of the disease.