The Omicron variant underscores the global stakes of Covid-19 vaccine inequity
The sudden emergence of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is adding pressure on vaccine makers to ensure their shots are available worldwide, but it remains unclear whether the companies will provide the intellectual know-how and technology that could help boost global production.
After the coronavirus appeared last year, wealthy nations quickly snapped up supplies by signing lucrative contracts and, in some cases, providing development funding to manufacturers. By doing so, however, a wide gulf opened up between rich and poor countries, leading to warnings that “vaccine inequity” would come back to haunt the world if large swaths of humanity remained unvaccinated.
