COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced the chronic inequality that exists between populations and communities as regards global healthcare. Vaccination, an appropriate tool for the prevention of infection, should be guaranteed by means of proportionate interventions to defeat such inequality in populations and communities affected by a higher risk of infection. Equitable criteria of justice should be identified and applied with respect to access to vaccination and to the order in which it should be administered. This article analyzes, as regards the worldwide distribution of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, the various ways the principle of equity has been construed and applied or even overlooked. The main obstacle to equal access to vaccines is vaccine nationalism. The perception of equity varies with the differing reference values adopted. Adequate response to needs appears to be the principal rule for achieving the criterion of equity in line with distributive justice. Priorities must be set equitably based on rational parameters in accordance with current needs. The entire process must be governed by transparency, from parameter identification to implementation. The issue of equal access to vaccination affects the entire world population, necessitating specific protective interventions. In light of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has devised the COVAX plan to ensure that even the poorest nations of the world receive the vaccine; certain initiatives are also supported by the European Union (EU). This pandemic has brought to the fore the need to build a culture of equitable relationships both in each country’s own domain and with the rest of the world.

Update on human genetic susceptibility to COVID-19: susceptibility to virus and response

“…To date, 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered [1]. Despite of the efforts of global organizations to face this health emergency, including the COVAX plan which aims to achieve the vaccination coverage in developing countries [5], we are still far from reaching the desired results and the end of this pandemic especially in emerging countries.…”

Myopericarditis with Significant Left Ventricular Dysfunction Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Case Report

“…Concerns about adverse effects are not the only reasons for low vaccine uptake. Inequalities in access to vaccines and patient concerns about efficacy should also be considered to address the multi-factorial reasons for suboptimal vaccination rates [ 12 , 13 ].…”

COVID-19 Vaccines: Current Conditions and Future Prospects

“…Nonetheless, numerous countries have implemented resilient measures, such as emergency provisions, to curb the spread of the pandemic [8]. Even more, there has been coordinated planning between nations to distribute access to vaccines, thereby allowing impoverished nations and their citizens to receive the vaccine [9].…”