The threat of vaccine nationalism

Affluent countries are hoarding vaccines. So how do you make vaccine distribution more equitable? And what threat does vaccine nationalism pose to the ending the pandemic?

Air Date: March 23, 2021 10:00 am

Hospital worker receives one of the country's first coronavirus vaccinations, using the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative, at Yaba Mainland hospital in Lagos, Nigeria Friday, March 12, 2021. Urgent calls for COVID-19 vaccine fairness rang through African countries on Friday as more welcomed or rolled out doses from the global COVAX initiative, with officials acutely aware their continent needs much more. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Wealthy countries are hoarding vaccine, stockpiling supplies, and creating a system that some are calling a “vaccine apartheid.” The U.S. for example, has bought many times the amount of vaccine it needs to inoculate all American adults. This hour, how do we ensure more equitable vaccine distribution? We’ll discuss vaccine nationalism, the threat it poses to ending the pandemic, and the ethical issues it raises with our two guests: ACHAL PRABHALA, a public health advocate for AccessIBSA, and KRISHNA UDAYAKUMAR, a physician and founding director of Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center. Then, we look at the U.S. vaccine rollout and the race against the COVID variants with Georgetown University virologist ANGELA RASSMUSSEN.

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