Vaccine nationalism only exacerbates COVID pandemic

The spread of the heavily mutated coronavirus variant Omicron this month has once again demonstrated that a self-serving approach in distributing COVID-19 vaccines or "vaccine nationalism" is neutralizing global efforts in fighting the pandemic.

Many countries are in crying need of vaccine doses while some rich countries are stockpiling. Epidemiologists believe that the low vaccination rate in the African continent has forged a hotbed for the virus mutations.

It was echoed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said in a tweet last month that the Omicron variant "reflects the threat of prolonged vaccine injustice."

There is a huge "immunization gap" in Africa, as its overall vaccination rate was lower than one fifth of the global average.

Only five African countries, less than 10 percent of Africa's 54 nations, are projected to hit the year-end target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of their people, according to the WHO's estimate in October.

On the contrary, the situation is starkly different in some rich countries.

The United States had reportedly already secured enough coronavirus vaccines to fully immunize 750 million people, well over the number of American adults, and millions of vaccine shots in the United States stood at the risk of spoiling.

The U.S. has shipped only 25 percent or about 300 million of the 1.2 billion doses it has promised to donate as of Dec. 7, according to data of the U.S. State Department. Besides, most of its exports have gone to higher-income countries.

The mutation would have slowed down had more vaccine doses been administered in less-developed countries.

The latest data from Israel indicate that COVID-19 vaccination is almost as effective at preventing infection with Omicron as it is with Delta, but those not inoculated may have a 2.4 times greater chance of developing serious symptoms.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, reportedly deemed Omicron "a wake-up call about vaccine inequity."

Besides, the "America First" approach has also boomeranged. At least 22 U.S. states have reported Omicron cases as of Dec. 10, posing the risk of a new surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

China, on the other hand, is in marked contrast as it made no hesitation to lend a helping hand.

China would provide another one billion doses of vaccines to Africa, including 600 million doses as donation and 400 million doses to be provided through such means as a joint production by Chinese companies and relevant African countries.

Also, China will undertake 10 medical and health projects for African countries, and send 1,500 medical personnel and public health experts to Africa.

China is walking its talk. It has provided over 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations.

By the end of 2021, China would donate 100 million vaccine doses to other developing countries, in addition to donations worth 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX Facility. As of Nov. 12, China has supplied more than 70 million vaccine doses to COVAX.

Currently, excluding China, about 5.6 billion doses of vaccines have been administered globally, with China providing one-third of them.