Eight vaccine candidates have now reached the final stage of clinical testing after half a year. News abounds daily on countries hustling to acquire first rights to approved vaccines for their citizens. Vaccine pre-orders have accumulated to more than 5 billion doses. The world is in the frenzy to get the 'magic bullet' out, some as soon as end-2020, so that life can return to some form of normalcy. 

Experts, however, are quick to point out that this is just the start of the journey, even if vaccines prove effective. Many questions will need to be answered during the roll-out phase. Manufacturing capacity and supply chains will have to be prepared to meet the demands of the 'largest product launch in history'. Already, The Economist has pointed out that not enough is spent on vaccine production, with only $10b devoted to manufacturing and distributing them.

The world will also need to decide who gets the vaccine first. Which countries and people should be prioritised? Should it be the vulnerable, the highest risk groups or those who can pay for them? And how do we get it to the 7 billion people worldwide eventually? The bioethics are complex and the world needs to rise above self-interest as it makes these decisions. 

In the face of growing 'vaccine nationalism', the World Health Organisation's call for countries to work together is a sobering and much needed one. The globalised world will have its best chance of recovery only when we rely on and help one another to recover together.