Where Western governments are failing, Russia and China have stepped in, offering vaccines to dozens of countries and licensing deals for production. There are apparently orders for two billion doses of Russia’s Sputnik V, pictured above. Chinese vaccines have undergone phase three trials in over a dozen countries, including Indonesia.－ AP
In 2020, we clung to hope to end the pandemic – hope for an effective vaccine and hope for unity across humanity. Today, in 2021, we have several effective Covid-19 vaccines – an extraordinary scientific feat – and vaccination has begun in Malaysia.
But global solidarity? Uh-uh. Politics and profits are proving problematic amid vaccine nationalism, secret pricing and limited licensing deals. In an ugly me-first scramble, a handful of wealthy nations have grabbed the bulk of vaccines while developing countries just watch and wait.
