Vaccine inequity-induced COVID-19 dilemma: Time to sober up

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has not only posed a serious threat to public health but has also imposed a heavy burden on medical systems and global economies. To combat this challenge, unprecedented efforts have been made by governments and the scientific community in the development and production of vaccines. As a result, less than a year elapsed between identification of a novel pathogen sequence and large-scale vaccine rollout. However, much of the focus and debate has increasingly shifted to the looming risk of global vaccine inequity and whether we could do more to modify this risk. In this paper, we first outline the scope of inequitable vaccine distribution and identify its truly catastrophic consequences. Then, from the perspectives of political will, free markets and profit-driven enterprises based on patent and intellectual property protection, we analyze in-depth the root causes why this phenomenon is so difficult to combat. Apart from these, some specific and crucial solutions that should be undertaken in the long term were also put forward, in order to provide a useful reference for the authorities, stakeholders and researchers involved in addressing this global crisis and the next one.