• CoralMarks [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      4 years ago

      How nice of them to maybe do some charity later on, maybe.
      Maybe the criticism is that the whole management of the global vaccine rollout was from the get-go going to disadvantage poorer nations?

      • Wordplay [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Plus, without a steady global vaccine rollout, these hoarder nations are effectively kneecapping themselves, since these other nations who will have only a partial vaccination of the population have a greater chance at producing mutated strains that the vaccines aren't effective against.

        Hate to put on the tinfoil, but it is obviously in the interest of vaccine producers/patent owners for a messy rollout, vaccine hoarding, and basically the creation of a permanent industry of COVID vaccines.

        • CoralMarks [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          4 years ago

          This article I read yesterday put it pretty well I think:

          In a globally intertwined economy vitally dependent on the movement of workers and complex supply chains, the lack of vaccine coverage for significant parts of the global population means the virus will have ample room to mutate, evade any newly created immunity, and travel far. New vaccines will continue to be developed, but given the delayed and uneven deployment, COVID-19 will always be one step ahead.

          This does not bode well for the future of billions of ordinary people whose lives will be disrupted by the virus, but it seems to sit well with the wealthy who are currently making a windfall out of COVID-19 outbreak.

          If we are to end the pandemic, save human lives, and prevent economic catastrophe for the most vulnerable, we urgently need to overhaul the mechanisms of disaster capitalism and ensure that vaccines are equitably distributed and anti-COVID measures effectively implemented across the world.

          • Wordplay [he/him]
            ·
            4 years ago

            I missed that. Great article, and great post. Godspeed to China and Cuba.. I wonder if it'd be looking a little less bleak if that Oxford vaccine ended up being open source...