Is figuring out a way to finance and rapidly distribute the COVID-19 vaccination in developing countries the most important problem in development today?
COVID-19 has caused a significant slowdown in growth/economic activity in developing countries. That slowdown requires a robust macroeconomic response (typically stimulus). Countries that have not done so need to focus on putting stronger COVID-19 mitigation measures (masks, etc) in place so that economic activity can resume (and children can go back to school where they have not already).
Certainly, macroeconomic responses and mitigation measures are the most pressing “near-term” development priorities but people with expertise and money (both in developing world and developed world) should be working on figuring out logistics and financing of vaccine distribution now.
It is heartening to see Bill Gates and international agencies (GAVI) applying their expertise to the problem.
Arrested Development 