What does Islam have to say on the ethics of COVID-19 vaccine distribution?
“O you who have attained to faith! Be ever stead- fast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes precedence over [the claims of] either of them. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do!” (The Qur’an, 4:135)
After nearly a year of defending against the spread COVID-19 as it attacked the global population, we are now approaching a change in the dynamic. [WHEN], the United Kingdom approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the United States appears poised to follow suit. While this development is welcome, it comes accompanied by another problem: who will be the first in line for vaccination? This is not merely a question for national distribution, but global distribution as well. In order to answer this question, ethicists are debating between two key guiding principles: equality and equity. Islam, as a system of morals as well as jurisprudence, philosophy, and politics, can provide guidance on how we ought to approach vaccine distribution.
Islam is built on the foundation of equity and the sanctity of life. As Muslims, we are obligated to first and foremost preserve life and prevent harm. God also mandates us to uphold equity and justice, especially “to protect the rights of the weaker segments of society against the power of the stronger,” as noted by Dr. Maher Hathout on page 32 of In Pursuit of Justice: The Jurisprudence of Human Rights in Islam. When applied to the current issue of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Islamic principles would therefore entail that the global vaccine distribution strategy prioritizes the preservation of life and the countries that need them the most.
Here’s the hard truth: there simply isn’t enough vaccine supply to meet the global demand at the moment. Some argue that the countries who discover the vaccines or fund the vaccine development ought to get priority access. Others argue that this approach severely disadvantages poorer countries who are not only unable to fund vaccine research and development but also suffer some of the harshest consequences of the pandemic.
In an effort to get the buy-in from wealthier nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) are spearheading COVAX, a financing platform through which signatory “countries, regardless of income levels, will have equal access to these vaccines once they are developed.” Although COVAX opens up access to poorer countries, it falls short in terms of the principle of equity. Under COVAX, two countries of similar population size would receive the same number of vaccines even if one of them had significantly higher rates of infection or death. More than 150 countries have signed on to COVAX, but the U.S. has not.
COVAX is a step in the right direction, but it does not adequately resolve how countries with higher rates of infection will have proportional access to vaccines. Not addressing the immediate needs of COVID-19 epicenters is dangerous: so long as the virus prevails in these hotspots, it will continue to spread worldwide, costing us more lives and affecting the global economy (and yes, that means the U.S. economy, too). Attacking the epicenters is key to defeating the virus and returning to normalcy.
As a part of American pluralism, we American Muslims should weigh in on this question of ethical vaccine distribution through the lens of Islam. To best uphold the Islamic principles of equity and sanctity of life, we therefore urge the U.S. to first sign on to COVAX and, from there, utilize its superpower status to ensure that countries most in need of the vaccine are provided with sufficient supplies. It is time world powers set aside self-interest to prioritize life above all.
