MENA & COVID-19: FAULT LINES IN VACCINE DISTRIBUTION HAMPER PANDEMIC RECOVERY

   Wed, 18 August 2021

Governments in the Middle East & North Africa region initially reacted rapidly to contain COVID-19. Strict containment measures helped to limit the first wave and have since been gradually lifted. However, the situation now appears to be diverging – while Gulf countries seem to have flattened the infection curve, the public health situation appears much more fragile elsewhere in the region. Uneven access to vaccines and the emergence of COVID-19 variants could also derail the region’s recovery, as prospects for wealthy and poorer countries diverge.