Opinion: Vaccine Apartheid in Context

Contributors: Kimberly Rolle, Alexi Santiago, and Alonna Williams

September 21 is designated as International Peace Day by the United Nations National Assembly. The day calls for a 24-hour ceasefire. Even with an absence of violence, there is still turmoil and inequity globally. Covid-19 and its residual effects make inequities more transparent. Global vaccine inequalities lead to worsening human development and socio-economic outcomes.

The pandemic’s impact on health inequalities and political unrest became extremely translucent during quarantine. When the world’s economy shut down, people were required to isolate themselves in their homes. As individuals isolated, the world’s leading democracies also entered a period of medical isolationism. The United States of America (U.S.) pulled out of the World Health Organization (WHO) and placed restrictions on domestic vaccine distributors. These measures created greater apparent inequity in vaccine distribution.