Catastrophe squared: COVID-19 vaccine inequity in humanitarian crises

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused physical, social, and economic devastation all around the world. While more manageable case numbers and immunisation efforts seem to indicate that the world has come a long way in controlling the virus, there is great inequity in vaccination numbers around the world. Low-income countries have only received 14 doses per 100 people—13-fold lower than the 182 doses per 100 people in upper-middle income and high-income countries. This paper highlights the disparity of COVID-19 vaccination rates in high-income countries versus those afflicted with crises and raises the need for linking pandemic response with humanitarian assistance.