When they say that a particular vaccine is for the poor countries this does not mean that the vaccine is of a poor quality, but this has the lowest price and is accessible. A vaccine is sent to the poor countries according to particular quality criteria, but does not necessary has the lowest price, international public health expert Ala Tocarciuc stated in IPN’s public debate “Coexistence”, “war” or “diplomacy” of vaccines in the world? Impact on Moldova”

The expert said the logic of the developed countries was that their citizens should be vaccinated first. But there are poor countries or countries with low incomes that cannot invest money in creating the own vaccine or in purchasing it from other states. The COVAX platform was created for these countries. Some of the vaccines cost only US$2-3 a dose, such as the vaccines produced in India, China and Korea, while the vaccines made in the U.S. or in the European countries cost more.

The fact that the large countries purchased the available vaccines and didn’t leave some to the small countries or didn’t export any dose of vaccine and use them to vaccinate the own people is a model of “cannibalism”. There are yet countries that produce, vaccinate and export vaccine and this is a correct behavior.

In another development, the expert said it’s true that at the start of the pandemic, the countries were left on their own and many of them closed their borders. From medical viewpoint, it was a correct, justified measure aimed at stopping the spread of the virus. “Now we can say that it was egoism, narcissism or something else, but at the initial stage it was something necessary”.

The public debate “Coexistence”, “war” or “diplomacy” of vaccines in the world? Impact on Moldova” is the 181st installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is implemented with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.