Health Nationalism

ABSTRACT

On April 9, 2021, only two days after receiving its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines suffered an enormous volcanic eruption. Plumes of smoke and ash billowed across the main island, necessitating a large-scale evacuation of its residents to neighboring countries. But, as Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves explained in an emotional press conference, only vaccinated residents could be evacuated. The transporting ships, and the islands themselves, had vaccine mandates. This meant that only residents with preferential access to the vaccine—at the time, 10,805 out of a population of approximately 111,000—had the opportunity to flee © 2022, Dissent.All Rights Reserved.