Comparative Analysis of Vaccine Inequity and COVID-19 Transmission Amid the Omicron Variant Among Countries — Six Countries, Asia-Pacific Region, 2022

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC? The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) persists as a significant global public health crisis. The predominant strain, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), notably the Omicron variant, continues to undergo mutations. While vaccination is heralded as the paramount solution to cease the pandemic, challenges persist in providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT? The distribution of vaccine coverage exhibited disparities between high-income and middle-income countries, with middle-income countries evidencing lower levels of vaccination. The data further suggested that countries with lesser vaccination levels tended to display a higher case fatality rate. Findings indicated that an increase in population-wide vaccination was effective in mitigating COVID-19 related mortalities. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE? The findings of this research underscore the pressing necessity for equitable access to vaccines to effectively mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic within the Asia-Pacific region.