Analysis: One percent of people in low-income countries vaccinated

Just one percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new analysis pointing to “wide” global disparities. 

By contrast, the analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that 51 percent of people in high-income countries have received at least one dose. 

Furthermore, the analysis finds low-income countries are not on pace to reach the World Health Organization-backed goal of vaccinating 40 percent of the population by the end of the year, and, in fact, would need to increase their vaccination rates by almost 19 times to meet that goal. 

“There is a massive and growing gap in vaccinations by country income,” tweeted Josh Michaud, one of the authors of the analysis.  

NEW @kff analysis of global COVID-19 vaccination (in)equity shows there is a massive and growing gap in vaccinations by country income:
->50% of population vaccinated in high income countries
-~1% of population vaccinated in low-income countrieshttps://t.co/dhBaBCrxWD pic.twitter.com/9oRMrUhn0U

— Josh Michaud (@joshmich) July 21, 2021

In Africa, just two percent of the population has received at least one dose, while in Europe, 40 percent has. 

In the United States, about 55 percent of the population has at least one dose of the vaccine. Some European countries are even higher — in the United Kingdom, 67 percent of the population has had at least one dos. 

By contrast, Nigeria is at one percent, and Indonesia is at 12 percent. 

Advocates have been pushing for richer countries to do more to boost global vaccine access. The Biden administration has pledged to donate over 500 million doses to other countries, but advocates say much more is needed. 

There is also a push not only to donate doses, but to boost manufacturing capacity for vaccines around the world to allow more doses to be made. 

Pfizer announced a deal on Wednesday to bottle some of its vaccine for Africa in a facility in Cape Town, South Africa, but the vaccine substance itself will first be manufactured in Europe.