It's glaringly unfair: In Germany, the percentage of people who have already received a booster vaccination is higher than the number of people in poorer countries who have only received their first shot — 5.6% of Germans have had an additional jab, compared to 4.6% of people vaccinated once so far in the world's 27 poorest countries.
Apart from ethical and moral arguments, it is clear why the global south must finally receive many more vaccine doses: Inoculation not only reduces the risk of severe illness but also reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to others — therefore aiding efforts toward ending the global pandemic. From that point of view, a booster campaign is unfair at a time when nearly half the world's population is still unvaccinated. To make matters worse, the caretaker German government is withholding vaccine donations to the COVAX program, which aims to distribute them fairly across the world, in order to offer its own population booster shots.
Why people should not reject the booster dose
However, it would be just as wrong to refuse the privilege of a booster shot. After all, a booster vaccination dose that goes unused in Germany doesn't do anyone in other parts of the world any good either.
In this case, the logic of "every purchase decision is a signal," which allows consumers at least minimal influence, does not work. People who have been vaccinated have no power over the market because they are not participants in the market. In the global North, at least, the goods have long since passed over the counter to government purchasers, and national governments are doing their best to distribute the vaccine among their own populations.
It is also wrong to assume that unused vaccine doses are simply donated. Like a round of beers in a pub, any left untouched will eventually be thrown out. That is particularly true in the case of vaccines that have a shelf life of a few hours after being taken out of the ultra-low temperature freezer, and are generally supplied in packs of six. Donations of larger batches shortly before they hit the expiration date are also problematic, because the doses still need to reach people willing to be vaccinated elsewhere. If the recipient countries do not have enough time for distribution, they will ultimately have to throw out the doses.
Even if a significant number of Germans were to waive their booster shots so that those doses could be donated, how would the government react? It is unlikely the government would pass on the next vaccine shipment — it would probably spend taxpayer money on advertising campaigns to change people's minds.
Booster shots save lives, too
Getting the additional shot makes a difference to how the pandemic advances in one's own environment. Reportedly in Israel, the fourth wave was broken by booster vaccinations, which presumably saved many people from falling ill or worse.
Germany and other countries in the northern hemisphere, which currently face a sharp rise in the number of infections despite a large number of vaccinated people, hope for just that effect, regardless of the adverse conditions at this time. Data from Israel suggests that protection against a COVID-19 infection may begin to wane a few months after receiving a second dose, but rises again after the booster shot.
The first two vaccinations still provide sufficient protection to prevent a severe case of COVID-19, even in view of a rise in the number of cases of breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people. But every person with a booster shot whose immune system stops the virus from the outset is a dead-end for the pandemic. Everyone who, thanks to the booster shot, does not end up in an intensive care unit and keeps hospital capacity free for others. Every booster shot not only helps the vaccinated person, but could also save someone else's life.
None of this matters to the 95% or so of the population in the world's poorest countries who are still waiting to receive even one COVID-19 vaccination. People who feel guilty about their vaccination privilege should donate money, organize protests and petitions, or contact their constituency representatives — but all this can be done after getting the booster shot.
This article was originally written in German.