NEW YORK/TOKYO/MANILA/NEW DELHI -- The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines is a modern scientific miracle. In little over a year since the virus was identified, mass inoculations using safe, effective and thoroughly tested vaccines have begun in dozens of countries.
But now comes the hard part: Who gets them? And where? At stake is not just the zero-sum question of who lives and who dies. There is an even bigger issue: The longer the disease is allowed to thrive, the more likely it is to mutate into variants resistant to the vaccines. Vaccine hoarding by rich nations could leave vulnerable populations in poorer countries still exposed and prolong the pandemic for everyone.
