Between the High Ideals and Reality: Managing COVID-19 Vaccine Nationalism

Abstract

This report examines what has come to be known as “vaccine nationalism” through the lens of the early experience with the COVID-19 vaccination process. After explaining the meaning of the term, this report investigates how this phenomenon has manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying its epidemiological, economical, ethical and legal aspects. It also looks at the different international initiatives that have been adopted to deal with it, concentrating in this context on the COVAX project. The report concludes that the success of these initiatives has been limited. It also observes that COVID-19 vaccine nationalism appears to be a phenomenon that is characteristic of the high-income Western countries, while in aspiring non-Western powers the vaccine crisis is primarily seen as a way to advance their geopolitical goals.

Fit for purpose? The patents regime, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and sustainable development

“…Some states have invoked the compulsory licensing option to produce vaccines and treatments, but the fear of retaliation that would jeopardize bilateral trade agreements has made others reluctant to take this step (Institute of New Economic Thinking (INET) Commission on Global Economic Transformation, 2021). Additionally, many developing countries lack the necessary capacity to produce vaccines and treatments even if they invoke compulsory licensing, again leaving them dependent on imports from developed countries, which have been limited due to vaccine nationalism (Gruszczynski and Wu, 2021; McMahon, 2021). Non-patented intellectual property including trade secrets, clinical trial data, and technical know-how also remain out of reach, since compulsory licensing only covers patents (Institute of New Economic Thinking (INET) Commission on Global Economic Transformation, 2021).…”

Preparing for Disease X: Ensuring Vaccine Equity for Pregnant Women in Future Pandemics

“…As experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine roll-out in HICs can occur rapidly, however access to vaccines in LMICs can be very limited, owing to greater buying power of HICs and vaccine nationalism ( 18 , 19 ). Following the early approval of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and a favorable safety profile in non-pregnant persons, HICs have made these vaccine widely available to pregnant women which has enabled safety and effectiveness data collection in tens of thousands of pregnant women.…”

Vaccine nationalism: contested relationships between COVID-19 and globalization

“…In addition, vaccine nationalism, part of the broader vaccine race permeated with the bloc logic of the Cold War, has also sundered the world into two distinct groups (Daoudi, 2021). While vaccine nationalism has attracted participation from higher-income countries, many lower-income ones have aligned with China's 'vaccine diplomacy' (Daoudi, 2021;Gruszczynski & Wu, 2021;Karásková & Blablová, 2021). After President Xi's vow in May 2020 to make Chinese COVID-19 vaccines 'a global public good' to ensure 'vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries', in June 2021 China also launched, jointly with 28 other countries (e.g.…”