COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines
The COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced the chronic inequality that exists between populations and communities as regards global healthcare. Vaccination, an appropriate tool for the prevention of infection, should be guaranteed by means of proportionate interventions to defeat such inequality in populat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-05-01
|
| Series: | Vaccines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/6/538 |
| _version_ | 1827691932939190272 |
|---|---|
| author | Matteo Bolcato Daniele Rodriguez Alessandro Feola Giulio Di Mizio Alessandro Bonsignore Rosagemma Ciliberti Camilla Tettamanti Marco Trabucco Aurilio Anna Aprile |
| author_facet | Matteo Bolcato Daniele Rodriguez Alessandro Feola Giulio Di Mizio Alessandro Bonsignore Rosagemma Ciliberti Camilla Tettamanti Marco Trabucco Aurilio Anna Aprile |
| author_sort | Matteo Bolcato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced the chronic inequality that exists between populations and communities as regards global healthcare. Vaccination, an appropriate tool for the prevention of infection, should be guaranteed by means of proportionate interventions to defeat such inequality in populations and communities affected by a higher risk of infection. Equitable criteria of justice should be identified and applied with respect to access to vaccination and to the order in which it should be administered. This article analyzes, as regards the worldwide distribution of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, the various ways the principle of equity has been construed and applied or even overlooked. The main obstacle to equal access to vaccines is vaccine nationalism. The perception of equity varies with the differing reference values adopted. Adequate response to needs appears to be the principal rule for achieving the criterion of equity in line with distributive justice. Priorities must be set equitably based on rational parameters in accordance with current needs. The entire process must be governed by transparency, from parameter identification to implementation. The issue of equal access to vaccination affects the entire world population, necessitating specific protective interventions. In light of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has devised the COVAX plan to ensure that even the poorest nations of the world receive the vaccine; certain initiatives are also supported by the European Union (EU). This pandemic has brought to the fore the need to build a culture of equitable relationships both in each country’s own domain and with the rest of the world. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:12:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c6b01c4a0464518a96293bf84876fda |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:12:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c6b01c4a0464518a96293bf84876fda2023-11-21T20:43:18ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2021-05-019653810.3390/vaccines9060538COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to VaccinesMatteo Bolcato0Daniele Rodriguez1Alessandro Feola2Giulio Di Mizio3Alessandro Bonsignore4Rosagemma Ciliberti5Camilla Tettamanti6Marco Trabucco Aurilio7Anna Aprile8Legal Medicine, University of Padua, via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padua, ItalyLegal Medicine, University of Padua, via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padua, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, ItalyForensic Medicine, Department of Law, “Magna Graecia” University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, Section of History of Medicine and Bioethics, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio,” University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyLegal Medicine, University of Padua, via G. Falloppio 50, 35121 Padua, ItalyThe COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced the chronic inequality that exists between populations and communities as regards global healthcare. Vaccination, an appropriate tool for the prevention of infection, should be guaranteed by means of proportionate interventions to defeat such inequality in populations and communities affected by a higher risk of infection. Equitable criteria of justice should be identified and applied with respect to access to vaccination and to the order in which it should be administered. This article analyzes, as regards the worldwide distribution of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, the various ways the principle of equity has been construed and applied or even overlooked. The main obstacle to equal access to vaccines is vaccine nationalism. The perception of equity varies with the differing reference values adopted. Adequate response to needs appears to be the principal rule for achieving the criterion of equity in line with distributive justice. Priorities must be set equitably based on rational parameters in accordance with current needs. The entire process must be governed by transparency, from parameter identification to implementation. The issue of equal access to vaccination affects the entire world population, necessitating specific protective interventions. In light of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has devised the COVAX plan to ensure that even the poorest nations of the world receive the vaccine; certain initiatives are also supported by the European Union (EU). This pandemic has brought to the fore the need to build a culture of equitable relationships both in each country’s own domain and with the rest of the world.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/6/538vaccinationequitypublic healthCOVID-19COVAX |
| spellingShingle | Matteo Bolcato Daniele Rodriguez Alessandro Feola Giulio Di Mizio Alessandro Bonsignore Rosagemma Ciliberti Camilla Tettamanti Marco Trabucco Aurilio Anna Aprile COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines Vaccines vaccination equity public health COVID-19 COVAX |
| title | COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines |
| title_full | COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines |
| title_short | COVID-19 Pandemic and Equal Access to Vaccines |
| title_sort | covid 19 pandemic and equal access to vaccines |
| topic | vaccination equity public health COVID-19 COVAX |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/6/538 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matteobolcato covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT danielerodriguez covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT alessandrofeola covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT giuliodimizio covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT alessandrobonsignore covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT rosagemmaciliberti covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT camillatettamanti covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT marcotrabuccoaurilio covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines AT annaaprile covid19pandemicandequalaccesstovaccines |