Vaccine the world

Vaccine equity is not an impossible puzzle

By Natalia Korobkova

I guess it’s because I advocate daily for the equitable distributions of vaccines globally, as part of my job as Advocacy Director for World Vision’s global COVID-19 response, that I can’t help but feel frustrated when my 16-year-old nephew from Pennsylvania in the US excitedly calls me to let me know that he got his first COVID-19 jab, while my 78-year-old sickly mother-in-law in India still has not been vaccinated. 

Enough doses have now been administered to fully vaccinate 8.1% of the global population against COVID-19 – but that distribution has been disturbingly unequal. The wealthiest 27 countries have received 35.5% of the vaccines and their populations are getting vaccinated about 25 times faster than in the countries with the lowest incomes.

Many countries all over the world are facing a severe crisis, with new virus variants emerging and hospitals overflowing with patients, and running short on essential supplies like oxygen or even medical alcohol disinfectant. In January, The Guardian described the situation of hospitals in the Amazonas region in Brazil as a ‘complete massacre, a horror film’. World Vision and our partners had to ship these essential supplies to health centres via boat.

Scary scenarios and images are ever present as I support my colleagues’ work to fight COVID-19 in 70 countries around the world. Yet, as I sit here in Costa Rica caring for my elderly parents, I am witnessing firsthand another side of the impact caused by COVID-19. In countries like Costa Rica, which never really recovered from the last economic crisis of 2009, people keep saying a COVID-19-induced economic crisis ‘is coming’. But it’s not coming; it’s already here. A tourist-driven economy, Costa Rica is already facing the fall-out after a year of lockdowns. I have to hold back tears when I go to the local supermarket and see my parents’ neighbours, who I’ve known for years, standing at the exit with empty bags, just silently waiting for the good-wishers to drop them some food. Shopping centres sit empty with vacant commercial spaces and some retailers are selling merchandise at a quarter of the price before they are forced to close their businesses.

In March this year, Costa Rica ended their most recent lockdown, aiming to start economic recovery; however, the slow vaccination roll-out and a new wave of cases forced the government to declare yet another one. These ongoing lockdowns are not only affecting the economy but are changing the fabric of Costa Rican society. There has been a surge in crime, and blame and discrimination have been directed towards migrants and refugees who, according to some estimates, make up about 20% of the population. Yesterday, I saw a few older Costa Rican couples begging for assistance with their national IDs in hand. They said: “We are local, we are nationals; please help us with what you can, we’ve lost everything.”

Yet we cannot start economic recovery and building back a safer world for children until everyone is safe and vaccines have reached the poorest countries. I won’t stop saying that the best way to make this happen is by strengthening COVAX, a mechanism created during the pandemic specifically to administrate the pooled procurement and equitable roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX has already demonstrated the ability to negotiate the lowest vaccine price; however, many of the wealthy countries that publicly expressed support for COVAX have separately procured vaccines that this global facility was relying on through bilateral deals, weakening COVAX and encouraging vaccine nationalism. This is so disappointing to see, by governments who know the impact this will have globally.

Unless we address the barriers created as a result of this duplicity, along with worrying vaccine hesitancy, we won’t be able to put an end to this pandemic and focus on addressing all of the negative impacts COVID-19 has had on the most vulnerable children and their families. Political calls for equitable distribution are not enough. Wealthy nations must accompany this rhetoric with their government’s transparent cooperation with COVAX.

Natalia Korobkova is the Advocacy and External Engagement Technical Director for World Vision’s global response to COVID-19. Follow Natalia on @nataliakorobkov

Photo by Ivan Diaz on Unsplash