With rise in the infections caused by the coronavirus pandemic, affluent states have already secured control over vaccines that are in the process of being developed. Although there is no legitimate remedy as of yet, several countries have acquired control over the vaccines that have not yet been approved through a series of agreements and trade deals with companies developing the vaccines.

According to data compiled by analytics company Airfinity, wealthy countries have signed agreements for five vaccines in final stages of trial till date.

“Access to a life-saving vaccine depends on where you live and how much money you have,” were Oxfam advocacy manager Robert Silverman’s words. The development of a safe and effective vaccine is crucial along with its accessibility. Vaccines developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, Sputnik V developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moderna and Pfizer from USA, vaccines from China’s Sinovac Biotech have been studied and analyzed by Oxfam. The total vaccine production capacity of these five companies is estimated at 5.9 billion doses, enough for about 3 billion people worldwide.

The United States of America, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel altogether, comprising roughly 13% of the world population have already bought supply of vaccines worth billions. This may result in deprivation of access to vaccines for others across the globe.