As more and more countries vaccination numbers continue to go up, those in poorer countries are still being left behind. This time the unfairness comes from countries such as The UK profiteering from vaccine inequity, as said by the BMJ. Countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America do not have the luxury of just sitting by.
Having the access to an opportunity of getting a vaccine is a human right. Limiting it between countries is wrong and unfair.
A previous article by Halo Staffing spoke about the opportunities for COVID-19 vaccines and how they are a privilege. In that article, the statistics of the number of people vaccinated in a few different countries were shown. For instance, in the UK there are currently 45m people fully vaccinated, which is about 66.9% of the population (67.2 million), compared to Sierra Leone that only has 0.6% of the population (7.9 million) vaccinated. Then we have Germany and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, these countries both have population sizes of over 80 million and yet there is a clear difference in the amount of people getting vaccinated. Germany with 53.8m fully vaccinated and DRC with 36,255. In the time between this and the previous article there has been a clear increase for some countries, but it is not good enough.
It’s understandable to feel angry when seeing news like this one. Often, we feel helpless but there is always something more that we could be doing to work towards making sure everyone gets the same opportunities. For many a fear of the future exists, it comes with not having trust in those who are meant to keep us safe, it should not be the case, but it is and until we face it as a society nothing will ever change. With the right resources and understanding you can make an impact. Some things you can do to put a light on this matter are:
- Research more about this matter
- Donate if possible
- Find other people raising awareness, start conversations together
- You could possibly start social media campaigns
- Share any information with those around you
- Talk to those who can make a positive impact
The thing we can all try our best at doing is to start a conversation on the matter, listen to stories of those experiencing it and face the facts of those involved. As well as understanding the emotions that are involved for all, whether that’s from the stories you’ve heard or your own emotions that become associated with causes such as this one. It isn’t easy, speaking up never is and it’s hard to get people to truly hear what you are saying but it’s important and there is always something we can be doing better.
Many are already making steps forward by demanding change and demanding to be heard. It is the only way forward, globally we can no longer stand by and watch the governments and others in power take advantage of those who are in poorer countries.
See our latest update HERE
