Two years into the worst pandemic in a century, it is tempting to think that the world is stuck in a time warp, unable to shake off a virus that has so far killed more than 5.5 million people and wrecked countless livelihoods.
But the truth is that in the 15 months since the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility first gained the support of the international community, much has changed.
In September 2020, we did not know whether scientists would be able to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Now we have several. Nor did we know back then that industry would succeed in scaling up production. But, in the event, 11 billion doses were manufactured last year.