The haves and the have not’s
It is great to hear that the covid-19 immunization has started and people are responding to the vaccine with fewer side effects or any other complications. However, what concerns the major portion of the global population is that the vaccination has started in the developed countries only and the poor or the underdeveloped have been left wondering as to when will the day arrive for them when they see that the vaccine is available for them as well.
Since the day the covid-19 vaccine was cleared for use in few developed nations, a sort of vaccine nationalism has taken over leaving the poor people around the globe watching preparations for inoculations against the deadly virus that has consumed millions of lives and continues to remain a threat for mankind.
The vaccine against coronavirus has emerged as a hope among the people who feel that they will finally be able to defeat the virus that has crippled the world with economies suffering huge losses and people facing job losses at a much faster rate.
Now when the rich nations are kick starting immunization programmes they tend to forget that the vaccines needs to be treated as a global public good, available to everyone, everywhere on the planet, especially in Africa and other developing counties.
This in simple terms means that the developed world should do whatever they can to make the vaccination programme a global affair rather than limit it to their citizens only. For achieving this, the big powers need to be generous towards the vaccination programme by contributing for the World Health Organisation’s COVAX programme. The COVAX is an ambitious project to buy and deliver coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poorest people.
Given the nature of the covid-19 pandemic and the way it has spread WHO’s COVAX programme is the only way to guarantee vaccines will be available in Africa and other developing areas.
The virus can be put under control only after the vaccines is shared equally as global public goods, not as private commodities that widen inequalities and become yet another reason some people are left behind.
COVAX, as of now requires an additional 23.9 billion for 2021, out of the estimated 28 billion total which is less than one-half of 1 per cent of the 11 trillion in stimulus packages announced so far by the Group of 20, the world’s richest countries.
The United Kingdom and Russia have already started vaccinating people against the coronavirus. In the United States, the Pfizer vaccine could get a green light for emergency use in the coming days and the Moderna vaccine in the coming weeks. Canada announced approval of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday.
However, the 54 African nations have registered more than 2.2 million cases of coronavirus infections and over 53,000 deaths from COVID-19. Same holds true for the Asian natiuons where citizens are uncertain about getting immunized during 2021.
Therefore, to end the pandemic and the rich and poor divide, the vaccines must be available to all and most African countries which lack the financing to adequately respond to the crisis.
