Vaccine Access in Global Comparison

What began as a novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China in late 2019 soon erupted into an unprecedented global health crisis, as the COVID-19 outbreak emerged into a pandemic that spread across nearly every nation worldwide. Among the list of nations hit the hardest, developing countries are disproportionately represented, demonstrating an inequitable distribution of the harms that resulted from the pandemic. Shortage of resources and healthcare personnel led to overwhelmed hospitals, overcrowding, rapidly drained funds, and ‘infodemic’ (a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about something, such as a disease), all of which were exacerbated by the lack of clear leadership, worsening the situation in developing countries (Bong et al., Anesthesia Analgesia 131:86–92, 2020.). An immediate recognition of the need for a vaccine from the very beginning prompted global research efforts in an attempt to curb the pandemic. In December 2020, less than one year after COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the modern world, the first Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) was approved for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Soon after, in 2021, a number of other vaccines were developed and approved by various regulatory authorities in some developed countries. Although more than 10 billion doses of COVID-19 immunizations have been administered by mid-2022, the pandemic, and its subsequent consequences, continue to persist. With new strains evolving every few months, ongoing vaccine hesitancy, and lack of coordinated global distribution, the development of an effective vaccine has proven to be only the first in a long series of steps toward achieving global herd immunity and halting the pandemic. In addition to the aforementioned challenges, emerging evidence reveals that the vaccines may be associated with clot formation and other unexplained illnesses, fueling the public’s lack of trust in manufacturing companies and their rapid, unconventional mode of development. Apart from the trials of vaccine distribution, experts have recognized a basic human right regarding vaccination, advocating that access to a lifesaving medical intervention, such as a vaccine, should be provided as a core human rights obligation. To guarantee this access worldwide, and to achieve the anticipated success that a vaccine hopes to bring, the procurement, allocation, distribution, administration, and uptake of vaccines will be essential steps in the process. With many preexisting health care challenges, developing countries are likely to face increasing difficulty at vaccine distribution efforts in comparison to the developed world. Since a majority of the global population resides in these nations, and international travel to and from these countries is likely to extend the pandemic, there is a crucial need for serious consideration to overcome the challenges faced in the developing world.