World Hits 345 Million Vaccine Doses Given, but Some Countries Are at Zero

More than 345 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide in the three months since mass inoculation began in December, but there is still a huge disparity in the vaccination rates between countries.

Source: Vaccinations data from local governments via Our World in Data. Some countries that have started vaccinations are not shown because they do not provide data for the number of people who have been partially or fully vaccinated.
Israel continues to stand out in the global vaccination race, with 58 percent of its population having received at least one dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, and 46 percent having received both required doses. Despite a slow start, Chile is now making swift progress, with at least a quarter of its population having received at least one dose.

Despite some initial criticism of Britain’s decision to delay second doses until 12 weeks after the first, the strategy seems to be paying off, as more than a third of its population has received at least one dose, far ahead of any of its European counterparts. Studies appear to have vindicated Britain’s decision after finding a single dose could avert most coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

Some of the starkest differences can be found when comparing continents. In North America, 18 doses have been administered for every 100 people, while in South America, there have been just 4.9 vaccinations per 100 people amid growing outbreaks across much of the continent. Many African nations have yet to start vaccinations, with less than one dose administered across the continent per 100 people.

Until the bulk of the world’s population has been immunized, the virus will continue to evolve into variants that are more contagious, more deadly or that dodge the immune response at least in part, experts have warned. A global program led by the World Health Organization and other groups has made a few million doses of Covid-19 vaccines available to some African countries, but it is unlikely to have enough doses for the rest of the world before 2024.

More than 345.2 million vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, equal to 4.5 doses for every 100 people.

 It's been hellish, and it will likely go down as the toughest stretch in many Americans' lives.

One year ago Saturday, the country went into its first stage of lockdown, though some adhered to guidelines better than others. Three hundred and sixty-five days later, Covid-19 has snuffed out more than 530,000 lives in the world's most prosperous country -- roughly one-fifth of the global death toll.

It's not over, but as the nation marks a dubious anniversary, hope bobs on the horizon. Three vaccines have emerged as valuable weapons in the fight against coronavirus.

Despite a bumpy rollout campaign in some states, many foresee a summer filled with hugs, dining out, vacations, concerts, sporting events, beers at bars, worship services, in-person learning, parties, museums and packed movie theaters -- among other pleasures that we took for granted.

After receiving his second dose of vaccine, Joe Sanders, 93, of Princeton, West Virginia, told CNN last month that he didn't have audacious plans; he was simply looking forward to slipping out of the nursing home, where he'd been confined for his safety, for a little country ham and red-eye gravy.

"I was just really relieved, and I have hope that I'm going to get out of here and do some things," Sanders said. "That kind of sustains you, instead of feeling you're going to be here till the end."

Hope, too, has been a valuable weapon. It's one of many things Americans have learned in the last 12 months.

Other lessons:

1. On resilience
It wasn't always pretty. The pandemic has exposed our swagger, and also our naivete and divisions, but we learned to adapt to the most devastating episode in recent history.

Not only did we acclimate to the jarring disruptions that came with pandemic life -- at work, at school, in our social lives -- we did it while navigating the busiest hurricane season on record and a long-simmering racial reckoning.

It was far from a uniform effort, but by all accounts, we showed our mettle, our resilience. The overwhelming majority of us kept donning masks and avoiding large gatherings to keep ourselves and others safe until the cavalry arrived in the form of vaccines.

Recovery appears near, but we would do well to remember those among us who lost loved ones and livelihoods. They could have been any of us, and for them, the effects of the pandemic will linger long after the final vaccination phase. The best prescription? Some collective compassion.

2. On sacrifice
What we're willing to sacrifice in a catastrophe runs the gamut from almost nothing to just about everything.

Even the leaders most vocal on the virtues of masks, distancing and staying home couldn't help heading to the hair salon or a Michelin-star restaurant. They set a terrible example, but their temptations aren't foreign. Who among us didn't want an inch or two trimmed off, or some expertly prepared surf and turf?

Still, many of us decided we could wait. Super-spreader events snared the headlines, but beneath the media spotlight were tens of millions of people giving up the favorite parts of their lives to save others.

Not everything was a choice, of course. Many businesses shut down. Hospitals and nursing homes banned visitation. Events were canceled and travel banned, but we would be remiss to ignore the accompanying sacrifices that amounted to tiny acts of heroism and doubtless saved myriad lives.

3. On our elders
Knowing a loved one is dying alone is excruciating, as is not being there to help ease their pain. Saying farewell via Zoom or from a parking lot is heartbreaking.

Before the pandemic, there was an epidemic of isolation and depression among seniors, and the nation got low marks in general for how it cared for its elderly. Older Americans were already missing physical touch and seeing people's faces more than most. The pandemic magnified these shortcomings in profound ways.

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Coronavirus homed in on the elderly with particularly deadly effect, and Americans were slow to step up and protect them. Take Gov. Andrew Cuomo, initially considered a stalwart and model of Covid-19 response: He now faces allegations he obscured the death toll among New York's nursing homes.