When being first is a bad idea
The rollout of the Philippine vaccination program brings a glitter of hope for the end of this pandemic. But as of now, the end is not yet in sight. Recently, President Duterte admitted that many more would die because of coronavirus disease. The reason: there is no sufficient supply of vaccines to inoculate the world.
With the use of money, power, and influence, rich countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and a few more are reported to have cornered the vaccine supply to vaccinate their populations first.
According to a new report published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the US has secured 800 million doses of at least six vaccines in development, with an option to buy about one billion more. The UK has purchased 340 million shots: approximately five doses for each citizen. Although on the surface, it may seem these countries have ordered more doses than they need, the truth is many of these orders were put in during trial phases of the vaccines when they did not know for sure which vaccines would be successful. (www.aljazeera.com)
The report shows that securing sufficient vaccine supply for its population is a game that only high rollers, the rich, can play while the developing countries can do nothing but wait for leftovers.
However, this pandemic is like the devil that preys upon the weakness of humanity. “Nobody is safe until everyone is safe” is a battle cry that falls on deaf ears of rich countries as they continue to protect their own, leaving the rest of the world as the kill zone for the virus. The WHO calls this gambit as vaccine nationalism. It is a reckless game that is seen to boomerang in the long run.
According to the WHO, the concern over less wealthy countries not having access to a vaccine is a serious one, and it is everyone’s problem. The pandemic is a global issue; we have already seen how quickly it can spread around the world, bringing some of the most powerful economies to their knees. If we were to vaccinate only those countries that bought up the majority of the supplies of the vaccine, it would mean the virus would continue to rage in other non-vaccinated countries. And we have already seen just how quickly and efficiently this virus can mutate when allowed to ravage unchecked through populations anywhere. (www.aljazeera.com)
The WHO further stressed that the more people it infects, the more likely it is that further mutations will occur, and it is inevitable that an “escape” mutation will eventually surface. This is a mutation that allows the virus to evade the immune response set out by vaccinations, which could mean they become less effective in preventing serious illness. The new mutation is then likely to become the dominant strain and will find its way back to our shores, setting off a whole new set of infections in those vaccinated against only the old variants. (www.aljazeera.com)
The pandemic is a battle of the entire human race against the disease. This is not an individual battle with only the rich countries emerging as the only victors. This is not a war of the Duterte administration where his government is the only one to be blamed. This is our battle. We have seen the virus penetrate the highly secured homes of the rich and the famous while it wreaks havoc as well on low-income families.
This pandemic tests humanity’s resolve to act together. With the current geopolitics, the battle is far from over for as long as greed and selfishness prevail.