Last month, 130 countries had yet to administer a single dose of vaccine. Meanwhile the US has enough for three times its population

Old colonial lines are being reinforced. As western nations edge closer to effectively vaccinating their populations, much of the rest of the planet languishes in fear of new Covid variants and the long-term impacts of the pandemic and its economic consequences. The US has acquired enough vaccines for three times its population. At the same time, according to Unicef, 130 countries had yet to administer a single dose of vaccine as of mid-February. Some countries aren’t poised to see widespread vaccine access until 2023. While there are questions of unequal distribution within western countries like the US and UK, the larger problem is how the greed of governments – and the corporations that bully them – has caused a new and dangerous form of global inequality.

The US is, for lack of a better term, hoarding vaccines. It began with Donald Trump and his refusal to participate in Covax, a global initiative that aims to ensure the distribution of 2bn vaccines to countries in need. Joe Biden joined Covax but has for the most part deprioritized the organization for the sake of ensuring that Americans are vaccinated first and foremost – even if that means scores of vaccines go unused. After some criticism, Biden agreed to distribute some superfluous vaccines to Mexico and Canada. This is less an act of generosity than an act of self-interest, intended to ensure that the US vaccination process isn’t undone by having unvaccinated nations at its borders. In true American fashion, these vaccines are essentially loans.