To move beyond the pandemic, Canada needs to look globally

It has become evident that COVID-19 does not discriminate between borders or international alliances. Despite this, some of the wealthiest nations are gripped by a zero-sum mentality, as they have made and continue to make policy decisions that solely look inwards. Last year, the World Trade Organization reported that 80 countries banned the exportation of personal protective equipment (PPE). This had significant consequences, as hoarding behaviors and lack of cooperation meant that many went without this essential equipment, and were therefore at risk of contracting the disease. Considering that Canada itself suffered from a lack of PPE as a result of this exportation ban, it is astonishing to see that the country is contributing to similar shortages of COVID-19 vaccines. For example, Canada drew vaccines from COVAX, a worldwide endeavor funded by wealthier nations to ensure that lower and middle income countries would have equitable access to vaccines. While legally entitled to do so, the move was criticized as Canada was one of the few wealthy nations that took from this supply, while simultaneously purchasing more vaccines from manufacturers. In this respect, Canada has already ordered more than 400 million doses, many times the number than its citizens need. Abrar Ahmed is an MD candidate at University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine. Photograph courtesy of Abrar Ahmed Furthermore, despite successfully purchasing a large quantity of vaccines, a number of them were left to expire. Thousands of AstraZeneca vaccines had expired in July, with more to come should a strategy to donate excess vaccines not be in place in time. The loss of these vaccines had come despite the extension of AstraZeneca shelf life by Health Canada in May. These vaccines could have resulted in a meaningful impact elsewhere in the world. In countries that are struggling to control virus transmission protection from the AstraZeneca vaccines could have been the difference between life and death. Examples of such countries are Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, as they are in the midst of a devastating third wave, with Indonesia surpassing India as the world’s leader in new infection rates. Despite the number of public declarations of support for our global partners by the Canadian government, the implementation of such efforts have yet to come into fruition. Instead, Canada continues to pride itself in becoming the country with the highest rate of vaccination. While this success is certainly commendable, if it comes at the expense of vaccinating the rest of the world, this achievement will be a hollow victory. The notion that any one nation is more important than the other has left the world vulnerable. Leaving countries behind poses risks to the global community at large. This was seen with the rise of variants, where unvaccinated groups would provide greater opportunities for the virus to mutate. Moreover, individualistic thinking among countries poses grave economic consequences. According to the Rand Corporation, the inequitable distribution of vaccines could cost the world economy upwards of $1.2 trillion a year. On the other hand, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation estimates that it will cost $25 billion to vaccinate low income nations—a fraction of the aforementioned economic cost. Dr. Peter Zhang is an MBA candidate at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Photograph courtesy of Peter Zhang Currently, as Western nations consider a third booster dose of mRNA vaccines to ensure the protection of their citizens, one has to wonder if the better investment would be towards ensuring first doses for citizens in lower and middle income countries. This pandemic affects all spectrums of the globe. Yet, every time we propose and implement solutions for COVID-19, they have been focused inwards. With the undeniable dangers of leaving other countries behind, it would be a mistake to not approach COVID-19 from a global perspective. For Canada, this is an opportunity to demonstrate global leadership. As a nation with a supply of vaccines far exceeding its needs, a strategy is needed to ensure that excess vaccines support pandemic efforts abroad. Additionally, we need international advocacy to forgo nationalistic tendencies when these problems affect every person on this planet. With challenges such as climate change upon us, if we are unable to demonstrate global unity in the face of COVID-19, we will find ourselves to be in a dire state when the next crisis inevitably arrives. Abrar Ahmed, BSc is an MD candidate at University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine. Dr. Peter Zhang, PharmD is an MBA candidate at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. The Hill Times

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To move beyond the pandemic, Canada needs to look globally

Canada needs to lead international cooperation by example in the face of a global crisis.

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