Vaccines for All: Equitable Access to Covid-19 Vaccines Needed Urgently ; KIEP Opinions ; No. 206

In: http://hdl.handle.net/11540/13202

Open Access

Abstract

Indeed, global vaccine procurements today are not equitable at all. While some high-income swiftly-acting countries hoarded effective and safe vaccine doses sufficient to cover their whole population more than three times, other low-income countries did not have any. The UK, US, Canada, EU and Israel quickly began inoculating their citizens from December last year and now up to 40% of their populations have received their first doses of Covid-19 vaccine. However, some countries in Africa and Southeast Asia still do not know when they can start the first jab. G20 leaders have declared that the world would "spare no effort to ensure their [Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics] affordable and equitable access for all people," but the real-life effect of these beautiful words seems rarely found.