Coronavirus: Will poor countries get a fair shot at the vaccine?

On Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 1930 GMT:
What will be the global impact if poorer nations are left out of the drive to vaccinate their vulnerable populations from COVID-19? While rich nations are building their vaccine supplies and carrying out mass inoculations, most poor nations are on track to achieve mass immunisation by 2024, according to one estimate. Health experts worry the timeframe is too slow and gives more opportunities for variants of the virus to develop, creating even more challenges in ending the pandemic.

Not distributing coronavirus vaccines in poor nations could also contribute to an estimated $9 trillion loss to the global economy, with rich nations bearing half of the costs, according to a new study.

In this episode, we’ll look at what should be done to ensure the world’s poorest countries have access to coronavirus vaccines. Join the conversation.

In this episode of The Stream, we are joined by:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, @NOIweala
Special envoy, World Health Organization

Krishna Udayakumar, @krishna_u
Director, Duke Global Health Innovation Center

Achal Prabhala
Coordinator of the AccessIBSA project