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Inequidades globales en el acceso a vacunas contra la COVID-19 y sus implicaciones para América Latina y el Caribe

Olmedo Pimentel, Yaribeth Virginia; Gardellini, Tatiana

Global inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines and their implications for Latin America and the Caribbean



Autores Olmedo Pimentel, Yaribeth Virginia
Autores Gardellini, Tatiana
Tema América Latina
Tema Cooperación internacional
Tema COVID-19
Tema Determinantes sociales de la salud
Tema Equidad en salud
Tema Política de salud
Tema Salud global
Tema Vacunas contra la COVID-19
Tema Latin America
Tema International cooperation
Tema COVID-19
Tema Social determinants of health
Tema Health equity
Tema Health policy
Tema Global health
Tema COVID-19 vaccines
Descripción The COVID-19 pandemic represented one of the greatest challenges to global public health in the twenty-first century and exposed profound structural inequalities in access to essential health technologies. Although the rapid development of vaccines constituted an unprecedented scientific achievement, their distribution was shaped by economic, political, and geopolitical factors that favored countries with greater financial and technological capacity. This essay analyzes inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines from the perspective of international public health and global health governance. It examines the power relationships among States, international organizations, and pharmaceutical corporations, as well as the impact of vaccine nationalism, intellectual property protection, and the limitations of multilateral cooperation mechanisms. Furthermore, it explores how these dynamics exacerbated health inequalities and affected the social determinants of health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Special attention is given to Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that faced significant barriers to timely vaccine access due to structural constraints, technological dependence, and limited production capacity. Finally, the paper highlights the need to strengthen international cooperation, regional health sovereignty, and preparedness mechanisms to improve responses to future public health emergencies.
Descripción La pandemia de COVID-19 constituyó uno de los mayores desafíos para la salud pública global del siglo XXI y expuso profundas desigualdades estructurales en el acceso a tecnologías sanitarias esenciales. Aunque el desarrollo acelerado de vacunas representó un logro científico sin precedentes, su distribución estuvo condicionada por factores económicos, políticos y geopolíticos que favorecieron a los países con mayor capacidad financiera y tecnológica. El presente ensayo analiza las inequidades en el acceso a las vacunas contra la COVID-19 desde la perspectiva de la salud pública internacional y la gobernanza global de la salud.  Se examinan las relaciones de poder entre Estados, organismos internacionales y corporaciones farmacéuticas, así como el impacto del nacionalismo vacunal, la protección de la propiedad intelectual y las limitaciones de los mecanismos multilaterales de cooperación. Asimismo, se analiza cómo estas dinámicas profundizaron las desigualdades sanitarias y afectaron los determinantes sociales de la salud, especialmente en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos. Se dedica especial atención a América Latina y el Caribe, región que enfrentó importantes barreras para acceder oportunamente a las vacunas debido a limitaciones estructurales, dependencia tecnológica y capacidad restringida de producción. Finalmente, se destaca la necesidad de fortalecer la cooperación internacional, la soberanía sanitaria regional y los mecanismos de preparación ante futuras emergencias de salud pública.
Editorial Universidad Metropolitana de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología
Fecha 2026-07-30
Tipo info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Tipo info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Formato application/pdf
Formato application/epub+zip
Identificador https://revistas.umecit.edu.pa/index.php/saluta/article/view/2240
Identificador 10.37594/saluta.v1i14.2240
Fuente Saluta; No. 14 (2026): SALUTA July - December 2026; 81-92
Fuente Saluta; Núm. 14 (2026): SALUTA Julio - Diciembre 2026; 81-92
Fuente 2644-4003
Fuente 2519-0342
Fuente 10.37594/saluta.v1i14
Idioma spa
Relación https://revistas.umecit.edu.pa/index.php/saluta/article/view/2240/3108
Relación https://revistas.umecit.edu.pa/index.php/saluta/article/view/2240/3109
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Derechos Derechos de autor 2026 SALUTA
Derechos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0