Should wealthy countries stop hoarding the Covid-19 vaccines?

 

As of right now, the coronavirus has taken more than 1.5 million lives. It has hammered the world economy and upended our daily lives. The recently developed vaccinations are a marvellous way to end what some may call the worst year of their lives. This vaccination has given us hope and light among the darkness that has been 2020. As the year comes to an end, things are finally starting to look up. However,  this may not be the case for everyone.

 
In a press release today, Amnesty International urged wealthy countries to stop hoarding the vaccines as this could severely affect low-income countries. They state that "Pfizer-BioNTech has already agreed deals for more than one billion potential doses of its vaccine". In an extensive study, they calculated that “Nearly 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate one in ten people against COVID-19 next year unless urgent action is taken”.  But is it the responsibility of wealthy countries to worry about other nations or should they put their own first? Those involved in the deals include the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the EU. Pfizer projected that they could make 50 million doses this year and 1.3 billion in 2021. Bearing in mind that each person receiving this vaccine needs two doses each, only a small fraction remains for the rest of the globe. This could possibly deprive billions of people in the developing world. After all, there are 7.8 billion people in the world. 

Recent data shows that just 14% of the globe bought up 53% of all the most promising vaccines so far. Some nations have even gone as far as to buy a lot more than necessary. Canada will have enough to vaccinate every Canadian 5 times. Are they smart for taking extra precautions or just plain selfish? Perhaps both. Although it may seem immoral, their decision ensures their nation will soon be Covid free. 

However, some of the Western countries who bought up a lot of the vaccines have been hit far harder by the virus than some poorer countries. This could justify the huge number of vaccines being purchased. The US and UK are among the top ten countries with the most cases, with the US being first on the list.  Countries such as Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and Yemen have a great deal fewer cases than any of the countries who bought the vaccines. These are all less economically developed countries but their coronavirus case counts are minute compared to those of some wealthier countries. 

On the contrary, Serbia and Romania are classed as developing nations but they have had more coronavirus cases than Canada. So is Canada's rapacious appetite for the vaccine really justified? 
Pharmaceutical companies don't have the capacity to cater to the whole world and the poorer countries do not have the money to buy enough vaccinations. Some may question why these companies don't share their knowledge on how to manufacture the vaccine? This would save the lives of millions and allow them to manufacture it themselves. However, money makes the world go round and people are greedy.

Whatever your view, this pandemic will not be over until it is over for everyone and no life is more important than another. We are all equal and as Anne Frank once said, "No one has ever become poor by giving."


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