New Strategies for the Pandemic’s Second Year

A new set of priorities has emerged in the second year of the pandemic as countries navigate complex international politics to secure vaccines, roll out their vaccination programmes and continue balancing lives and livelihoods in the long-term. Confidence in a global effort has increased lately with the United States’ re-engagement with the WHO and tremendous support for COVAX under the Biden Administration. However, hopes for a post-pandemic world are still challenged by vaccine nationalism, resource hoarding and an infodemic. What multilateral measures can be pursued to ensure vaccine equity for all countries? What geopolitical factors could impede fair distribution of vaccines? How can the United States and other superpowers support public health initiatives globally and what is the role of transparent, peer-reviewed data in in such initiatives? What kind of cooperation can countries such as Malaysia foster with the United States to build back better and fairer, in their health systems and societies?