Summary

As vaccines continue to roll out globally, wealthier nations have been inoculating their populations at a much higher rate than countries in the southern hemisphere, sparking the debate over “vaccine passports.” Northwestern University professor Steven Thrasher, instead, argues in favor of focusing on greater vaccine equity.

Key terms:

equity: fairness and justice; people get what they need in order to be successful based on their situation

global South: used to identify lower income countries on one side of the so-called global divide (see map: North–South divide)

patent: a contract that allows people to stop or prevent others from using their invention without their permission for a period of time