The worst of the coronavirus pandemic has receded considerably in countries with high vaccination rates, despite the new challenge posed by the more contagious delta variant. So far, this mostly means that rich countries are finding it possible to restart their economies safely, while lower- and middle-income countries, whose populations continue to be brutally battered by the pandemic, are struggling with massive public health demands, along with the economic and political crises ignited or worsened by COVID-19.
Nowhere is this relentless predicament more urgent than in Latin America, which is why multilateral organizations are urging the rich nations that have purchased most of the vaccine supplies—often in far greater quantities than they need—to make a concerted effort to accelerate the flow of vaccine doses to the region.
Last month, the World Health Organization, or WHO, urged the wealthy G-7 countries, which just pledged at the recent Cornwall summit to donate a billion vaccines worldwide, to prioritize Latin America, noting that nine of the 10 countries with the highest death rates are in South America and the Caribbean.