'America First' Vaccination Policy?

The coronavirus pandemic continues to prove just how interconnected the world is. Now, a new COVID strain called “omicron,” shows the potential downside of our global vaccination approach.

As people in the U.S and Europe line up for booster shots, low vaccination rates in some countries allow the virus to mutate into new strains. ‘America first’ has been a consistent focus for the Biden administration’s vaccination campaign.

Early in 2021, high income countries controlled nearly 60 percent of global vaccine doses, despite having just 16 percent of the world’s population. Millions of people around the world continue to wait for their first vaccination dose.

COVID may prove the only way to defeat a virus is to provide equitable treatment around the world.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the CRC Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.

This program is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 through the West Virginia Humanities Council. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Trey Kay

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United Nations Journalism Fellowship

Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr is the director of Columbia World Projects and director of the Mailman School’s Global Health Initiative. She is an international expert in infectious diseases and public health with extensive experience in epidemiology and research on the prevention and management of HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and emerging infections, among others.

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Columbia Univeristy – Mailman School of Public Health