Covid-19 Global Vaccination Drive: The Goal of Equity in an Unequal World

The Covid-19 vaccination rollout has been slow in many parts of the world, and it might not be inaccurate to say that the newer, more transmissible variants have done a better job at immunising populations than the vaccine. More than 16 months since the global vaccination drive was started, wealthier countries have inoculated vastly higher proportions of their populations compared to the poorer ones. For example, as of late April 2022, the United Arab Emirates has administered 266 doses per 100 people; and Haiti, with a comparable total population, is at 2.3 doses per 100 people. Even when numerical disparities are high, however, a comparative country analysis might conflate equity with parity without considering the differences in demographic profiles—for which is often used the concept of “priority groups”, in terms of risk to the elderly and health workers on the frontlines. This report problematises this narrow definition of “priority groups”, and assesses vaccination data made available through global trackers. The aim is to examine the global experience of the Covid-19 vaccination effort, and measure the length and breadth of the remaining task for the international community.