Some countries have stockpiles. Others have nothing. Getting a vaccine means living in the right place — or knowing the right people.
By Allison McCann and Lazaro Gamio
March 19, 2021
A 16-year-old in Israel can get a vaccine. So can a 16-year-old in Mississippi. And an 18-year-old in Shanghai. But a 70-year-old in Shanghai can’t get one. Older people are at high risk for severe illness from Covid-19. But Chinese officials have been reluctant to vaccinate seniors, citing a lack of clinical trial data. Neither can an 80-year-old in Kenya. Low vaccine supply in many countries means only health care employees and other frontline workers are eligible, not the elderly. Nor a 90-year-old in South Korea. Koreans 75 and older are not eligible until April 1. Only health care workers and nursing-home residents and staff are currently being vaccinated. The government initially said it was awaiting assurances that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and effective for older groups.
Read the full article in the New York Times