“The Biden administration is right to want to take the lead in vaccinating the world, for a host of reasons both self-interested and altruistic. But it should not fall into the trap of trying to beat Russia and China at their own game—handing out vaccines to specific countries based on their geostrategic importance and the amount of attention they are receiving from rival powers,” Chicago Community Trust’s Helene Gayle, Princeton University’s Gordon LaForge, and New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter write in Foreign Affairs.

“In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, there is enormous human and production capacity that could be mobilized to make more vaccines and address the needs of people in low- and middle-income countries. Governments and companies, especially in middle-income countries, have been asking to do so,” Georgetown University’s Matthew Kavanaugh, Mara Pillinger, Renu Singh, and Katherine Ginsbach write for Foreign Policy. 

This Backgrounder looks at global vaccine efforts.