A hallmark of the pandemic has been this unequal access to vaccines across the globe. Some countries, by virtue of their power and wealth, have had almost exclusive access to the vaccines, at the expense of less wealthy countries, many in Africa. High-income countries have hoarded vaccines at critical moments and in effect, delayed the return of African countries to their pre-pandemic socioeconomic conditions.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been grave but the consequences of a prolonged unequal access to vaccines will be worse. The threat of a new, deadlier variant will continue to loom. Resources in African countries will continue to be diverted away from other essential health services, negatively impacting the health of populations. African economies will continue to struggle, as growth opportunities are forgone in favor of COVID-19 related expenses, and commercial activities hindered. That’s why it is important that we not lose sight of vaccine inequity and its ongoing consequences.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Saad Omer, the Director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. Dr. Omer is a leading voice in the field of global health and has been especially vocal about the need for high-income countries to aid global access to the COVID-19 vaccines. We discuss the nature of vaccine inequity today and what must be done to reduce the vaccination gap between African countries and the rest of the world. This episode is different from the last two in that you’ll hear the whole interview, without my usual narrations. But I assure you that you’ll appreciate a lot of what Dr. Omer explains.
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