COVID-19 vaccines for Asia

[StevieWonders]

There’s lots of weeping and wailing about rich nations “jumping the queue” to acquire COVID-19 vaccines for their own residents. As an article in this week’s Economiist makes plain, some of the poorer nations in Asia are letting political considerations dictate their own approach to vaccines. As cdnmatt has pointed out more than once, Thailand has acquired enough vaccine for less than 20% of its population.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/...ination-drives

[cdnmatt]

Well, what the fuck do they expect? Politicians from wealthier nations to show up on the media and say, "yeah, I know we're running low on vaccines and don't have anywhere near enough to vaccinate our own population, but we're going to go ahead and send 50% of our dwindling supply over to Nigeria and Somalia, because you know, we're a generous country like that, hope you don't mind"?

Yeah, that will guarantee their re-election... or a public hanging, one or another.

[StevieWonders]

Well, what the fuck do they expect? Politicians from wealthier nations to show up on the media and say, "yeah, I know we're running low on vaccines and don't have anywhere near enough to vaccinate our own population, but we're going to go ahead and send 50% of our dwindling supply over to Nigeria and Somalia, because you know, we're a generous country like that, hope you don't mind"?

Yeah, that will guarantee their re-election... or a public hanging, one or another.

”Money talks” would have been a simpler response.

[arsenal]

Not just money apparently but political and business nous. The number of vaccines for the EU is less than they were expecting from both AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Not so the UK. The UK supplies are not affected.

[wingnut]

Not just money apparently but political and business nous. The number of vaccines for the EU is less than they were expecting from both AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Not so the UK. The UK supplies are not affected.

You work in China I see. You will get a Chinese vaccine yourself?

[arsenal]

I have many options.

[StevieWonders]

I have many options.

A “fuck off” answer almost worthy of me arsenal.

[goji]

There's no way somewhere like the UK should send vaccines to anywhere like Nigeria before taking care of the entire home population.
People don't get educated then work hard to give away all the benefits of that.
Secondly, most of these poor countries have low median ages, so the death rate will be lower.
Thirdly, there is so much corruption that any vaccines sent there will firstly go to the powerful.

When we do export vaccines, some reciprocation might be fair. For example, I think Vietnam shipped a lot of PPE to the UK last year when supplies were tight. So if they want it, move them up the priority list.

Finally, I think the Astra Zeneca vaccine is one of the most widely licensed and affordable options.

[Moses]

Russia and China already working for to distribute licenses and know-hows. Brazil starts manufacturing one of Chinese vaccines for internal use, India, Belorussia starts to manufacture Sputnik. I think more countries will receive know-hows soon: Xi and Putin told what small nation should have access to vaccines.