Poorer countries must not be left behind in a vaccine bidding war

Anne O. Krueger, a former World Bank chief economist, says the pace at which we end the Cobid-19 pandemic depends on getting vaccines to the poorest countries

Syringes wand vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine are prepared to be administered to front-line health care workers under an emergency use authorization at a drive up vaccination site from Renown Health in Reno, Nevada on December 17, 2020. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The world has received the best possible gift for the coming year. 

The development of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines in such a short time is something close to a medical miracle and portends an end to the crisis that dominated 2020.