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As vaccines emerge, rich countries are earmarking large chunks of the production for their own population. But the Covax initiative has been set up to accelerate the development and manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines, and make sure that they are distributed fairly between countries. Self-financing countries are able to afford to pay for the vaccine, but more than 90 countries are dependent on external aid.

Thomas Bollyky, director of the Global Health Programme at the Council on Foreign Relations, explains that although the safest approach is for everyone in the world to be vaccinated at the same time, poorer countries may need to wait till 2024 before they obtain the vaccine as wealthy countries have already reserved vaccines in advance outside of Covax by making direct deals with drug companies.

"If we're unable to share a vaccine - critical medical intervention that is in the interest of all nations to share and to protect themselves - if we cannot do that in this global crisis, what global challenge are we going to be able to cooperate on?"

Photo: A volunteer waits during a trial of the AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccine Credit: John Cairns/University of Oxford HO

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