COVID-19 Vaccination in the Time of Austerity: How and for Whom?

Abstract

As countries begin to roll out vaccination for COVID-19, the Lebanese caretaker government has yet to provide details about its vaccination strategy, raising concerns about its ability to provide vaccines due to the country’s economic and governance crisis. This paper, written by public health professionals, raises a number of questions about the vaccination strategy that the government should address and calls for an open, inclusive, and transparent process to placate the worries of citizens given the privatization and politicization of the country’s health sector.

The Lebanese (caretaker) government has failed to provide a comprehensive strategy on the management of the COVID-19 crisis, despite several calls to inform people about the various decisions to halt the spread of the virus and mitigate its impact on mortality and morbidity. Instead, people have been left guessing and outguessing their policy-makers about their decision-making process. As the world begins rolling out vaccination, it is essential to demand from the (caretaker) government and the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) more transparency regarding their strategy for the COVID-19 immunization campaign.