Vaccine Hoarding

 In the United States, more than one-fourth of the population — nearly 90 million people — has been fully vaccinated and supplies are so robust that some states are turning down planned shipments from the federal government.

Honduras has obtained a paltry 59,000 vaccine doses for its 10 million people.

More than one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to a tally, with more than half given in just three countries. Some 12 countries have yet to begin vaccinating – seven in Africa (Tanzania, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Chad, Burundi, Central African Republic and Eritrea.)

The U.S. has also faced criticism that it is not only hoarding its own stockpiles, but also blocking other countries from accessing vaccines, including through its use of the law that gives Washington broad authority to direct private companies to meet the needs of the national defense. The U.S. has used the Defense Production Act to secure vital supplies for the production of vaccine, a move that has blocked the export of some supplies outside the country.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2020 annual report also raised eyebrows for a section titled “Combatting malign influences in the Americas,” which said the U.S. had convinced Brazil to not buy the Russian vaccine.

Marco Tulio Medina, coordinator of the COVID-19 committee at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, explained, “There’s a lack of humanism on the part of the rich countries,” he said. “They’re acting in an egotistical way, thinking of themselves and not of the world.”

From scarcity to abundance: US faces calls to share vaccines (apnews.com)