Biden COVID-19 task force member warns of ‘vaccine nationalism’

President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force member Ezekiel Emanuel recently co-authored an article that argues against “vaccine nationalism.”

The document, published in September by Science Magazine, calls on drug companies and governments involved in vaccine production to commit to the “fair priority model,” rather than prioritizing local people at risk.

The model calls on both groups to commit to a “wide and equitable” distribution of the possible vaccine and critiques the two current methods of distribution of the World Health Organization. One model prioritizes population size based on how the vaccine will be distributed, while the other prioritizes health workers, people over 65, and adults with pre-existing conditions.

Regarding “vaccine nationalism,” the document warns that “public sentiment in some countries to keep vaccines developed within their borders is strong and many governments will also try to obtain vaccines produced elsewhere. But an ethical framework has broad relevance even in the face of nationalist attitudes.

“Rather than just saying that it might be right, governments typically appeal to national bias: a country’s right and duty to put its own citizens first,” it read.

“What you end up doing is giving a lot of vaccine to rich countries, which doesn’t seem like the goal of fair and equitable distribution,” Emanuel said of the model.

It is not clear whether Emanuel’s framework is being considered by Biden’s transition team while building his own coronavirus response effort and vaccine preparations.

The oncologist and bioethicist was asked to join Biden’s Covid-19 advisory board on Monday, although he is no stranger to advising presidents.

In addition to acting as the chief architect of the Affordable Care Act under President Obama, he was also approached by President Trump in early 2017 to advise him as a divergent opinion on healthcare policy. health care when taking up his post for the first time.