SIGNATURE WORK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2022

Past pandemics have shown disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which has also been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low- and middle-income countries tend to have high-density populations, more children, and a higher prevalence of at-risk people per household, resulting in more transmission and potentially strained healthcare systems. Global vaccine inequality can result in the prolongment of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased chance of new variants, and more human and economic suffering. At the United Nations panel “A Vaccine for All”, Willie Byanyima (Executive Director of the UN Program on HIV and AIDS) said that “any delay in response to the current crisis equates to more loss of life and increased poverty.” This paper analyzes data from the Launch and Scale Speedometer by Duke University, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, and The New York Times, to highlight the extent of pandemic burden and vaccine inequality faced by low- and middle-income countries. It finds that the efforts by initiatives such as COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust alone are insufficient to resolve global COVID-19 vaccine inequality. This paper endorses Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s (WHO Director-General) recommendation for high-income countries with high volumes of vaccines to increase donations by swapping delivery schedules with COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust. This will ensure support to LMICs facing significant burden from the COVID-19 pandemic.