Rhetoric first, action later: the G7 approach to global equity
The G7 countries met (virtually) on Friday, February 19, to share variants of “no one is safe until everyone is safe” and discuss the importance of global equity of Covid-19 vaccines and the need for international cooperation. (Sound familiar? That’s because we heard the same things from the G20 in November.)
The countries together pledged another $7.5 billion in funding for COVAX (including the $4 billion that the US Congress set aside for COVAX in December’s Covid relief bill). Funding, while important, is unlikely to improve the immediate picture for global equity as manufacturers churn out millions of doses heading for the same wealthy countries. RHETORIC FIRST-ACTION LATER
Low- and middle-income countries need doses now. As even wealthy countries are learning, purchases on paper are not the same as doses in hand. (Canada, which purchased more doses per capita than any other country, has received very little and is behind most other rich nations in its vaccine roll-out.)
And COVAX, while important, does not solve for equity at 20% coverage. Even with COVAX, poor countries still need to purchase supply for 40% to 50% of their population in order to reach herd immunity levels. But low- and middle-income countries making purchases now will have to wait in the queue to receive delivery, while manufacturing slots for much of 2021 are already reserved.
French President Emmanuel Macron joined Norway in calling for rich countries, which have purchased far more than they need (see table below), to donate doses now, as they are still vaccinating their priority populations. Asking countries to pledge 5% of their supply immediately, Macron made the point that it is speed that counts. Seeming to miss this entirely, UK leadership suggested they would likely donate a much more generous amount but that it was “difficult to say” when. The US and Canada, as well as EU leadership, have similarly committed to donations in principle but hedged on timing.
This appears to run counter to leaders’ oft repeated belief that “no one is safe until everyone is safe.” Because of manufacturing limitations, the fastest way to ensure that countries are able to move together to vaccinate their priority populations is for rich countries to send a portion of doses as they receive them.
The G7 countries (including the EU) have already purchased enough vaccine to cover more than 2 billion people. Even after vaccinating 100% of their populations, they would still have enough vaccine left to cover a combined 1.2 billion people.
Rich countries have tied up the bulk of the supply for this year. If these countries wait to share until after their adult populations have been covered and until after they know whether or not boosters will be needed, as the UK has suggested it will do, global inequities will grow. Meanwhile, while rich countries dither, China and India have moved quickly to donate millions of doses to poor countries even while both countries face shortages for domestic supply.
Vaccine purchases by G7 countries (including EU)