COMMENT | Caught in a tangled web of vaccine nationalism

COMMENT | “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”. Walter Scott’s lines, already over two centuries old, nicely sum up how the pursuit of national advantage and private gain have undermined the public interest and the common good.

As known Covid-19 infections exceed 100 million internationally, with more than two million lives lost, rich countries are now quarrelling publicly over access to limited vaccine supplies. With "vaccine nationalism" widespread, multilateral arrangements have not been able to address current challenges well.

Vaccine nationalism has meant that the rich and powerful come first, not only in societies but also in the world, making a mockery of the "No one left behind" slogan embraced by the international community.

Many developing countries and most of their people will have to wait for access to vaccines while the powerful and better off secure prior access regardless of need or urgency.

Vaccine nationalism and the prospect of more profits by not scaling up output to induce scarcity may thus cause more losses of both...