Among the many unsolicited recommendations that African governments are being pelted with presently, those pertaining to patents and the pricing of a potential COVID-19 vaccine are arguably the most expedient. It is certain that the vaccine will arrive in a cocoon of patents which will make it significantly costlier than a generic version.
Even before COVID-19, some health economists argued that low vaccine prices cause shortages. As the global nature of the pandemic guarantees the potential vaccine’s scarcity, such arguments are likely to rationalize high prices, prolonging the access lag for the global south significantly.