AMERICA’S COMING VACCINE GLUT: WHO SHOULD GET IT FIRST?

BY MICHAEL CAMUÑEZ

The United States will soon have more COVID-19 vaccines than it needs to inoculate its own people. The surplus ought to go to developing countries. And, to turn a slogan on its head, the priority should be Mexico First.

A vaccine surplus is hard to imagine. The dominant narrative of the pandemic has been one of scarcity. From personal protective equipment (PPE) to ventilators and COVID tests to the rollout of the vaccine itself, we never seem to have enough.

Yet, with regard to vaccines, we’re likely to go from having too little to having too much—and soon.

So we must have a plan for what to do next. We can’t let a life-saving surplus go to waste.

The coronavirus didn’t stop at international boundaries, and neither should the vaccine. We need to share the health.

Why should Mexico be first in line? There are several reasons, from the economic to the geopolitical.

Read the full article at CNN.

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Michael C. Camuñez is CEO of Monarch Global Strategies, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, a Pacific Council Director, and the chair of the Pacific Council on International Policy’s Mexico Initiative.

This article was originally published by CNN.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.