Unequal Access to COVID-19 Vaccines Leaves Less-Wealthy Countries More Vulnerable, Poses Threat to Global Immunity

Although high-income nations already have contracted for more than half of the total doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses, low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) have access to only enough vaccine doses to cover approximately one-third of their populations, according to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).Widespread global access to COVID-19 vaccines is needed not only to prevent cases and deaths; This substantial disparity between vaccines purchased and country income level "could be addressed in large part through redistribution of doses," the authors said, which some high-income countries, such as France and Norway, have said they will do.Last week, the Biden administration said it planned to offer 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Canada and 2.5 million doses to Mexico, from a stockpile of 7 million doses it had contracted to buy from AstraZeneca.This vaccine has been approved for use in Canada, Mexico, and