As per the data from the local government sources, there isa striking difference in the numbers as far as shared vaccination programs areconcerned. The data compiled from local government sources by the Our World in Data project at theUniversity of Oxford depicts how the goals of completing even the first dose ofvaccination have not been achieved by some countries.
A person who has receiveda minimum of one dose is said to be vaccinated. While on the other hand, aperson who has received the requisite number of doses is fully vaccinated.
Typically, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine classifies a person as “fullyvaccinated” after two doses. Therefore,as per the data accumulated by the Oxford University for their Our World Data project, we see that lessthan half the world population has been vaccinated so far; and that kind ofputs things into perspective.
The lack of availability of vaccine dosses, against therising demands, worldwide is not surprising. It has been predicted to continuetill the end of 2021. However, the dwindling immunity in the people hasresulted in many countries like the United States, Israel begin withadministering the booster dose.
Consequently, there has been a sudden spike inthe vaccination campaigns. Booster doses are the add-on doses that are beingadministered to the fully vaccinated individuals, whose resistance to the virusis showing a decrease from the original doses.
So far more than 27 millionbooster doses have been given already, with many countries still lined up inthe queue! Economically backward countries are dependent on thevaccine–sharing programs called Covax.
Contrary to the initial prediction toprovide 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, it has cut short to provide 1.4billion doses now, owing to miscellaneous problems revolving around –production, bans on exports, hoarding by wealthy nations, etc.
With such a limited supply of vaccines, this has led to ahuge concern of a divide between various regions of the world. Africa has theleast and most sluggish rate as compared to any other continent in the world,with just 6.7 percent of its population having received the first dose ofvaccination.
As per the Our World in Data, approximately 78% of thevaccine shots have been used to cater the upper-middle-income nations, whileonly a meager 0.5 percent has been used to cater the low-income countries.
This makes us ask a basic question, does a nation have to berich to exist or battle a pandemic? Should a nation perish, if it is notwealthy? Do the other nations sit and be a mute, deaf and dumb audience,forgetting all compassion and humanity? Its high time humans took a call – theonus of existence lies on us!