This paper examines the emergence of COVID-19 vaccine supply chains and the role of pandemic policy initiatives in shaping them. The authors create a new database mapping the production supply chains of six major vaccine manufacturers and the facilities used to scale up global manufacturing. They find that the vaccine supply chain emerged through a choppy process involving dozens of companies and geographically distributed facilities. The paper also catalogues major pandemic policy initiatives, such as the US' Operation Warp Speed, that may have affected the timing and formation of these supply chains. The authors identify further questions for researchers and policymakers to explore.
