Vaccine nationalism- its impacts on Pakistan and beyond
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With Canadians, Britons and Americans rolling up their sleeves to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, the arrival of vaccines has provided a light at the end of the tunnel. But for low and middle income countries including Pakistan, the road is far longer and rougher and the ride appears to be bumpy.
The concept of vaccine nationalism has become a significant global concern, highlighted by the recent spat between European Union and AstraZeneca-Oxford. It has been dubbed the evil twin of COVAX by Director General of The International Vaccine Institute. COVAX is a global coalition to fight epidemics, to avoid the international stampede for vaccines that has accompanied past outbreaks and to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines.
At least 90 percent of people in low and middle income countries stand little chance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in 2021 because rich countries have acquired a lion’s share of the vaccines. Billions of people around the world will not be able to receive a safe and effective vaccine for years to come. Wealthy nations with only 14 percent of the world’s population have bought up 53 percent of the eight most promising vaccines, including all of the Moderna vaccine doses expected to be produced over the next year, as well as 96 percent of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses. According to the People’s Vaccine Alliance, Oxford University and AstraZeneca have pledged to distribute 64 percent of their vaccines in developing nations. What’s left in the pie is not a lot, at best this will reach only 18 percent of the world’s population next year.
It is ironic to see that wealthy nations have enough doses to vaccinate their populations three times over, while poor countries don’t even have the system in place to begin a vaccination drive for their healthcare workers or those most at risk.
The hoarding of vaccines has become a hot topic of debate. Supply deals have been struck with national governments for eight of the most effective vaccines; namely Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca-Oxford, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Sanofi-GSK and Gamalaya-Sputnik. Developed countries, some of which helped fund the research for vaccine development with taxpayers money are under tremendous pressure to protect their own populations. Whereas most middle and low income countries have made no purchases of their own and are wholly reliant on the COVAX programme-- a collaboration between WHO, World Bank, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and GAVI. According to data published by the WHO, the programme has secured about 700 million doses so far, which is enough to immunize just 10 percent of the population living in poor countries around the world.
Pakistan has recorded half a million cases of COVID-19 to date, with over 12,000 coronavirus related deaths, although insufficient testing has resulted in a blurred picture. China donated half a million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, which barely makes a dent in a country with a population of 216 million people.
Dr. Mehreen Mujtaba
While most of the world is struggling with acquiring the vaccines, the biggest per capita hoarding of the eight vaccines is seen in Canada, which has acquired enough doses to vaccinate its population five times over. Whereas the US and UK have enough vaccines to immunize their citizens four and three times over respectively.
Pakistan has recorded half a million cases of COVID-19 to date, with over 12,000 coronavirus related deaths, although insufficient testing has resulted in a blurred picture. China donated half a million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, which barely makes a dent in a country with a population of 216 million people. Pakistan is also expecting to receive 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured in India. With hopes pinned on COVAX as well, Pakistan has a long way to go to provide vaccines to its people quickly. It is one of 92 low income countries eligible for free vaccines from COVAX, but the demand for free vaccines will outstrip the supply of the vaccines and experts predict that it’s not going to be smooth sailing.
Another ugly face of the inequity in vaccine distribution is vaccine tourism, which is helping the rich skip vaccine queues. For many Pakistanis, flying abroad might be the only option to receive vaccinations anytime soon. In addition, by allowing the private sector to procure COVID-19 vaccines, this can further tip the balance in favor of those who can purchase the vaccines regardless of costs. Although the government claims to “fix a rate,” this has never worked in a country where an artificial shortage of essential medicines is created by manufacturers leaving people at the mercy of profiteers and black market vendors.
The virus that has killed more than two million people worldwide has exposed vast inequities between countries. Most global health experts unanimously agree that chances of the COVID-19 vaccines being shared fairly and equitably between rich nations and the rest of the world are fading fast.
According to the WHO director general, this inequitable distribution might turn out to be a catastrophic moral failure, the price for which will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries. Beyond the ethics, the unnecessary hoarding of vaccines as well as supply chain failures will keep the pandemic smouldering, resulting in reservoirs of coronavirus left behind in developing countries that could result in future outbreaks and new variants.
– Dr. Mehreen Mujtaba is a freelance consultant working in the areas of environment and health.
