ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 global pandemic has led to a concentration of efforts to reduce the effects of contagion and mortality. Under this scenario, the Covax mechanism was created to guarantee equitable access to vaccines, since several international organizations have denounced the hoarding of 75% of vaccines by the ten highest income countries. Based on the above, this paper presents an analysis of the geopolitical dynamics regarding vaccines for COVID-19 based on Dependency Theory. To this end, the figures of production, distribution, acquisition and application of vaccines at the global level will be analyzed based on the main approaches of the Dependency Theory, in order to expose how, in the pandemic scenario, international inequalities are evidenced in areas other than the economic one. Preliminary findings lead to the conclusion that Dependency Theory provides key tools based on its center-periphery categorization and the scenarios of dependent development and limited autonomy. Thus, it is revealed as a relevant analytical framework for the study of geopolitical dynamics and international political economy in the context of global health.