Geopolitical aspects of COVID-19 vaccines distribution

Abstract

In December 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (China) reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) a cluster of pneumonia cases with unknown aetiology in Wuhan City, Province of Hubei, China. In March 2020, WHO declared a pandemic. So began the spread of Sars-Cov-2 and the race to possible countermeasures. This article analyses the commercial relationships of the sale and purchase of vaccines as a measure of influence between different regions of the world. Taking all vaccines with a degree of global diffusion into account (Sputnik V, Russia; Sinovac, China; Sinopharm, China; Covishield, Oxford/AstraZeneca formulation, India; Johnson & Johnson, USA; Oxford/AstraZeneca, UK; Pfizer/BioNTech, USA; and Moderna, USA), the article examines the specific regions of distribution. The paper has two aims: Firstly, to understand if the vaccines’ distribution mirrors the geopolitical status quo. Secondly, to identify the territories potentially more capable of causing important, regional or global, geopolitical frictions. In order to do that, the article highlights regions with unipolar and multipolar geopolitical influences. Limitations and further possible developments of the work will be commented on in the conclusions.