Coronavirus Vaccinations

The slow start of Coronavirus Vaccinations around the world brings dose of reality. The global introduction of newly approved coronavirus vaccines has been marked by delays, shortages and bureaucratic errors as it has become clear that many governments will miss their targets for mass inoculation.

The burst of optimism that arrived with approvals of new coronavirus vaccines — encouraged by unrealistic expectations raised by politicians — is colliding with the reality of the challenge of vaccinating a large part of the world’s population.

The vast scale of the effort by pharmaceutical companies to produce and package doses is already seeing strains through shortages of “fill and finish” materials such as the glass vials used for the vaccine.

So how are individual countries doing with Coronavirus Vaccinations?

1. United States

The US’s rollout of its vaccine programme has struggled, echoing the country’s chaotic response to the pandemic under Donald Trump.

Out of about 17.5m doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that have been delivered around the country, only 4.2m have been administered, mainly comprising the first of two doses.

2. Israel

Hailed as a success story for the initial speed of its vaccination campaign, Israeli media reported last week that the pace of the vaccination campaign means it is running low on purchased doses and may have to pause unless a new supply is negotiated.

3. European Union

A disconnect between different regulatory approval regimes for vaccines is also causing its own issues, not least a shortage of supplies in some countries. While the UK quickly approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in the UK and has since approved a second, the European Medicines Agency adopted a slower regulatory process and with Pfizer/BioNTech so far the only vaccine permitted within the bloc it has led to more demand from EU countries than the company can yet deliver.

4. India

One assumed advantage in national vaccination programmes is the presence of a well-developed manufacturing capacity, although that has not necessarily been the case in the US.

While Indian regulators have only just approved the country’s first two Covid vaccines for restricted emergency use, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and the other conceived locally by Bharat Biotech, India is home to the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines that will eventually provide doses for the Covax scheme to supply the developing world.