What's Driving Global Disparities When It Comes To COVID Vaccines?

The Duke Global Health Innovation Center's Andrea Taylor points to three key issues surrounding vaccine inequity.

One Question One Minute Video

By Mary Brophy Marcus

Published April 21, 2021, last updated on April 22, 2021 under Voices of DGHI

In our newest "One Question, One Minute" video, Andrea Taylor, assistant director of programs at Duke Global Health Institute, shares data-backed insights on why COVID-19 vaccination disparities are happening around the world. She explains that there are three key ways to look at how and where inequities are occurring:

  • Vaccine purchases - which countries have bought COVID vaccines and which have not.
  • Deliveries - which countries are actually getting the vaccines, because purchasing doesn't mean you have them in hand.
  • Vaccination - who is actually getting shots in their arms.

"The disparities between the wealthy countries and the poor countries are stark and they're growing rather than shrinking over time which is really concerning," says Taylor, whose work with the Duke Global Health Innovation Center and Innovations in Healthcare includes analyzing global data on vaccines, partnerships, and therapeutics to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disparities between wealthy countries and poor countries are stark and they're growing rather than shrinking over time which is really concerning.

Andrea Taylor — assistant director of programs at Duke Global Health Institute