Canada Should Lead on Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity - Canadian Science Policy Magazine, December 1, 2021
Dr. Ananya Tina Banerjee, Assistant Professor at the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, and Dr. Madhukar Pai, Professor at the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and past McGill Global Health Programs Director, authored a recent piece in the Canadian Science Policy Magazine.
"Canadians are lucky. Canada is among the leading wealthier nations having the highest vaccine coverage with more than 80% of the population over the age of 12 fully vaccinated. The same cannot be said for 3.5 billion people, largely in low-income and middle countries (LMICs), who are waiting for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 2% of the population in LMICs had received both dose[s], and only 3% of the African population has been vaccinated. Though manufacturers are scaling up vaccine production, LMICs are still waiting for vaccines as COVAX donations trickle in, just as they have been so often in the past at the mercy of high-income nations. Without a high vaccination coverage, no country can deal with the delta variant."