Give poor countries the coronavirus vaccine for free

Get rid of the pandemic everywhere, as soon as possible

Earth.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock)

The coronavirus vaccines are being rolled out. Thus far Israel is way ahead of the pack in getting the shots out, with over 9 percent of its population reportedly having received an initial vaccine dose as of Thursday. Bahrain is in second place, followed by the U.K. and the U.S. — where the Trump administration's performance is, as usual, falling far short of promises. The European Union has been slower with its approval process, but given the far greater state capacity on that continent, they will surely get moving fast now that the first vaccine has been approved, with more coming soon.

Poorer countries, alas, are at the back of the pack. Most of them have struggled to even secure a place in line for doses, and Reuters reports the World Health Organization program to distribute vaccines to them is a disorganized mess. Internal documents show a serious possibility of "nations home to billions of people with no access to vaccines until as late as 2024[.]"

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.