Vaccine Inequality

by | Jan 26, 2021 | Development |

vaccine

It makes sense vaccinate health care workers in this time of COVID doesn’t it. They are the ones who have been willingly and knowingly engage with those infected with COVID. Therefore it makes sense for them to be some of the first people to be vaccinated. After health care workers there is likely more of a debate about who should be next. Personally, I’m all for teachers being vaccinated soon to help schools be able to reopen. But the debate is real – who is vulnerable? Who should be next in line? And who decides the criteria for the ‘line’?

However, does it make sense for people like me (a relatively healthy, 40 something) or even teachers, police etc. here in the UK to be vaccinated before health care workers in Sudan? Nepal? Indonesia? Brazil? Guatemala?

No it doesn’t.

But this is the reality of the world we live in.

Yes, we have a global pandemic but our response highlights the inequality of our world. Just like the contact tracing apps (that still don’t work) are for the rich (those who can afford the latest smartphone), so too the vaccination roll out favours those countries who can afford to buy it.

I wish there was a better way.

Photo by Markus Spiske

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