Several countries in the Americas have received their first vaccine shipments in recent weeks – not from the local superpower or from Western pharmaceutical giants, but from China, Russia and in some cases India.
Why it matters: North and South America were plagued by the pandemic and recorded some of the world’s highest death toll. Few countries outside the US have the ability to produce vaccines on a large scale, and most do not have the means to buy their way to the forefront of imports. This has led to a scramble for whatever offer is available.
- Only Chile (17%), USA (15%), Barbados (12%), Canada (3%), Brazil (3%), Argentina (2%), Mexico (2%), Costa Rica (1%) and Panama have managed to give at least 1% of their population a first dose.
Send the news: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who is being “accumulated” by rich countries against the vaccination – is expected to ask President Biden to share part of the US vaccine supply with Mexico during their virtual meeting on Monday.
- Prior to the meeting, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the answer would be ‘no’, at least until all Americans have access.
- Canada, which bought more doses compared to its population than any other country but struggled to obtain them due to limited production capacity, received a similar response from Washington.
The state of affairs: Other world powers has start sending doses to the region. At least ten Latin American countries have received or are expecting the Russian Sputnik V vaccine soon, while another ten doses of China’s Sinovac or Sinopharm are expected.
- Argentina was one of the first countries in the region to start using Sputnik V, while Chile climbed to the top of the vaccination charts using a combination of Pfizer and Sinovac.
- Meanwhile, most of the doses that have reached the Caribbean so far come from India, which has become a global player in the distribution of vaccines due to its massive manufacturing capacity. New Delhi donated Oxford / AstraZeneca doses to countries such as Barbados and Dominica.
- Israel started the “vaccine diplomacy” game on a small scale, sending 5,000 doses each to friendly governments in Guatemala and Honduras.
- Note: At least eight countries have signed bilateral transactions with Pfizer or AstraZeneca. Meanwhile, Cuba is banking on a home-made vaccine.
Zoom in: While Bolivia negotiated the purchase of 5.2 million doses of Sputnik at $ 10 a shot in December, the government was also in talks with Western pharmaceutical companies that “inform our developing countries that we have to wait until June”, said Benjamin Blanco, Minister of Trade, told Reuters. .
- Bolivian President Luis Arce pumped his fist on the tarmac when the first Sputnik consignment arrived. Around the same time, he spoke to Vladimir Putin about possible joint energy projects.
- But while Psaki warned last month that Russia and China could use vaccines to build leverage over other countries, it is Pfizer who is accused during negotiations of bullying Latin American countries.
Vaccinations arriving from Russia and China are regularly received with great fanfare, with political leaders and TV cameras at hand.
Yes, but: The shipments are often quite small.
- Russia has so far supplied 20,000 doses to Bolivia and 4,000 to Paraguay, enough to cover a fraction of 1% of their population.
- Both Russia and China are facing challenges with manufacturing capacity to cover their own population, let alone send doses around the world.
But to produce trade the vaccines Sinovac and Sputnik in Brazil and Sputnik in Argentina should increase the stock. It is important that the vaccines do not require cold temperatures.
- However, there are still questions about the effectiveness, especially for Chinese vaccines. A trial in Brazil found that the Sinovac vaccine was only 50.4% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, although it was more effective in preventing serious cases.
- Although both countries clearly win diplomatic points, many polls found that many in Latin America would be less willing to take a Russian or Chinese vaccination than a Western alternative.
What to look for: By the summer, the US and other rich countries are likely to be willing to share doses internationally, which will significantly shift the image of vaccine diplomacy.
- The global COVAX initiative, which is crucial for the vaccination prospects in the Americas, will also start spreading this month. It should quickly surpass Russia and China as the largest source of vaccines in several countries.
The conclusion: Moscow and Beijing may have gained lasting goodwill and influence in the region by intervening when vaccines were at their scarcest.