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talkpoliticsWealthy Nations Denounced for Hoarding COVID-19 Vaccines
In simple words, vaccine nationalism occurs when a country manages to secure doses of vaccine for its own citizens or residents before they are made available in other countries. This is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer.
It's not a new phenomenon. This happened during the H1N1 virus. It's not the best way to stop a pandemic. It puts poorer countries at a disadvantage in having access to vaccines. Vaccines need to be given to the most at-risk populations first and then to those most likely to spread a virus.
Like all forms of nationalism, many will try to make this a patriotism issue. Howeverit really is not. Patriotism does not mean working in a manner that is harmful to the rest of the world.
Let's face it. Countries scrambling to be the first to inoculate their populations will achieve little if others go unvaccinated as a result.
Vaccine nationalism is incredibly shortsighted. The alternative is a global vaccine programme and this is what the WHO aims to do through COVAX, a global facility set up in April last year to speed up the development of medicines to treat COVID-19 and make them available everywhere.
We have seen how the South African variant has spread rapidly in South Africa itself, which is seeing a resurgence of cases. It is now more important than ever that the countries where this variant has been identified double down on lockdown, border control and social distancing measures as well as carry out rapid testing and isolating to contain its spread until definitive results from vaccine trials are known. This also shows us why vaccine nationalism as a government policy will continue to endanger us all.
In simple words, vaccine nationalism occurs when a country manages to secure doses of vaccine for its own citizens or residents before they are made available in other countries. This is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer.
It's not a new phenomenon. This happened during the H1N1 virus. It's not the best way to stop a pandemic. It puts poorer countries at a disadvantage in having access to vaccines. Vaccines need to be given to the most at-risk populations first and then to those most likely to spread a virus.
Like all forms of nationalism, many will try to make this a patriotism issue. Howeverit really is not. Patriotism does not mean working in a manner that is harmful to the rest of the world.
Let's face it. Countries scrambling to be the first to inoculate their populations will achieve little if others go unvaccinated as a result.
Vaccine nationalism is incredibly shortsighted. The alternative is a global vaccine programme and this is what the WHO aims to do through COVAX, a global facility set up in April last year to speed up the development of medicines to treat COVID-19 and make them available everywhere.
We have seen how the South African variant has spread rapidly in South Africa itself, which is seeing a resurgence of cases. It is now more important than ever that the countries where this variant has been identified double down on lockdown, border control and social distancing measures as well as carry out rapid testing and isolating to contain its spread until definitive results from vaccine trials are known. This also shows us why vaccine nationalism as a government policy will continue to endanger us all.
(no subject)
Date: 12/10/21 18:31 (UTC)