The First Billion COVID Vaccinations Have Been Given

It took just four months to reach this global milestone, and hitting the two-billion mark could happen even faster, say scientists

A health worker inoculates a lawmaker with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine ahead of the Parliament’s session in Kathmandu on March 3, 2021. Credit: Prakash Mathema Getty Images

one UK study found that, of 1.1 million people aged over 80 who were treated for health conditions in clinics and hospitals between December and January, 42.5% of white participants had been vaccinated, compared with just 20.5% of Black participants. The same study also found evidence of divides along socio-economic lines.

“Vaccinating only portions of the population is not an effective strategy, and leaves us vulnerable to new variants,” warns Udayakumar. “A global pandemic can only be met with a global response.”

Global vaccine manufacturers are scaling up production to meet demand, but this might take another 6–12 months to achieve, he says. Nevertheless, we are likely to hit the two-billion mark much faster than we hit the first billion, adds Swaminathan.

This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on April 29 2021.

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