The coronavirus pandemic has shown us how vulnerable the human race in fighting large-scale natural disasters. The pandemic hit the entire globe and since 2020, people have just been trying to get back to normal – pre-pandemic time. After the entry of vaccines, the scenario has indeed changed. We have the upper hand over the invisible enemy, for a change and might even go on to win over it by attaining herd immunity. This means that the vaccination drive must go on simultaneously all over the planet. Only if the majority of the human population is vaccinated against the virus, we can actually start our victory celebrations. With a good number of countries successfully developing indigenous vaccines, the target seems achievable. But the question that arises now is about the time it is going to take the vaccinating over half the population of the world? How long before we can get back to our normal lives?
Ironically, many poor countries are still lagging in the vaccination drives. Notably, over seventy-five percent of the vaccines being administered belong to high or upper-middle-income countries. According to these stats, the world will still be vulnerable to coronavirus for 57 more years to come. Now, this is a very long time. It is, therefore, imperative for the world to come together and speed up the vaccination process. Currently, only a handful of countries have their own indigenous vaccines. If the vaccine can be replicated by other smaller countries, it would drastically increase production, thereby, boosting the speed of vaccine administration. It is time that the countries make way for internationalism and have a world health order in place. The coronavirus pandemic has once again proved the need for an international consortium on health and communicable diseases. Additionally, the prices of the vaccine must be regulated internationally, keeping in mind the low-income nations, so that no one is left out of the vaccine drive.
Many countries are rapidly vaccinating their citizens, with a few even attaining 100 percent vaccination among their citizens. But what we fail to understand that for the world to return to a pre-pandemic time, other nations must also follow suit. Moreover, the monopoly of big pharma companies ruling the roost in the vaccine market must also be collectively broken. The nations must work together to bring about regulations under an international vaccine policy so that every country gets its right to vaccination. Many countries face various difficulties in accessing life-saving drugs, the international community must come together to support vaccine drives across borders. Vaccinating its own citizens must be the priority of every country but as high-income nations inch closer towards cent percent vaccination, it may come forward to support smaller countries. Only then, will we win this fight against the virus in the real sense of the term!