Are you concerned about vaccine inequity? What should be done?
Effective vaccines against Covid-19 have been developed in record time, with money from governments as well as the private sector. But more than three-quarters of the 5.5 billion Covid-19 shots administered worldwide have gone to high and upper-middle income countries, while poorer ones have been left behind.
The WHO’s COVAX scheme was supposed to ensure equitable access for all countries. But it has repeatedly had to revise down its targets because of supply problems.
What do you think? Are you concerned about vaccine nationalism? What should be done to get more Covid vaccines, as well as drugs, diagnostics and equipment, to poorer countries? Let us know what you think by joining the conversation below.
From the article Covid vaccines: how to end the wait for billions of people
Relying on vaccines is a problem.
Enable people to live and conduct economic activities without having to move.
Possible with the use of metaverse.
ワクチンに頼ることが問題。
人が移動しなくても生活や経済活動ができるようにする。
メタバースを利用すれば可能。
Yes, you can't get a job without a vaccination.
Да, без прививки не берут на работу.
This is a task for the UN and the human rights organisations, because all people have the same rights. There must be no differences here. The Red Cross,
Caritas, Malteser and other
welfare organisations.
Das ist eine Aufgabe der UNO und der Menschenrechtesorginisationen, denn alle Menschen haben gleiche Ansprüche. Hier darf es keinen Unterschiede geben. Das RoteKreuz,
Caritas, Malteser und andere
Wohlfahrtsverbände.
whats the point? Bill Gates tried to vacvinate them from 1 deseas it did not work, they dont want to. So why covid vacine would be different ?
Thank you to you for the opportunity you have given me.
My goal is for anyone reading my comment to wonder why "just the vaccine" and investigate for answers.
Thank you
Grazie a lei per l'opportunità che mi ha dato.
Il mio scopo è che chiunque legga il mio commento si chieda il perche' "solo il vaccino" ed indaghi per ottenere le risposte.
Grazie
Good morning, everyone.
Vaccines are not the only solution.
What I'm going to say has inherent to the topic exactly because the current situation in less wealthy countries is a consequence of the work done so far.
While understandable reaction to the panic and fear for this tough coronavirus, it is not acceptable that we have invested most of the resources for a vaccine whose feasibility compared to an emergency was in fact slow and still very risky.
I am vaccinated premise and I do not belong to any category vax no vax and various nonsense made to distract, divide and squander the energies of the community.
How can you think, in a climate of emergency to focus the most resources on a single remedy that can not be obtained with some certainty not before years?
Of course I understand that in the panic you can make mistakes but the political class and government has specific responsibilities and one of these is the management of panic and especially the duty to investigate and support all possible solutions and listen to all those who in the merit of their skills bring their contribution in many cases remarkable.
I am vaccinated after much thought and among other reasons I did so because there is a clear perception that it has become a social duty while remaining in reality
an essentially individual protection.
Differently, I believe that "the cure or medical remedy" cure is a social certainty.
Now what happens that the vaccine becomes the only solution at the expense of treatments that many doctors have done with excellent results.
Doctors who were unfortunately ghettoized and unheard of banned despite their excellent results.
So I ask: "All those treatments that have not had the same media support, scientific and financial support obtained from the vaccine, which positive developments could have had today if, on the contrary, had been adequately supported, how many lives would have been saved until now?"
I do not understand the logic of the choices made.
Why exclude remedies and not develop them even if they are effective and faster than a vaccine?
Why are not supported and mentioned especially by midia the treatments that currently exist and are recognized as effective to treat the disease?
In my opinion, these are very serious omissions because we are talking about human lives to be saved in many different ways and especially with an adequate, widespread and timely information.
If there are effective treatments, why not develop them and allow them to spread rapidly even in poor countries?
Why only the vaccine?
Now to think wrongly is a sin but almost always you guess and there are many failures that are no longer acceptable at this point as errors or accidental.
The vaccine is good but it is not the only solution and whoever prevents that cures and other effective medicines are not spread, taking away their resources and therefore not reaching people in need, is making decisions whose consequences and responsibilities are serious and that one day will be clearly re-observed and questioned duly.
What should be done?
Exactly what I said, moving in all directions, freeing all possible resources from the logic of profit, if we really want to save ourselves and our less fortunate brothers and sisters.
Buongiorno a tutti
I vaccini non sono l'unica soluzione.
Quello che dirò ha inerenza con l'argomento esattamente perché la situazione attuale nei paesi meno ricchi è una conseguenza dell'operato fatto fino ad ora.
Pur essendo comprensibile la reazione al panico ed alla paura per questo duro coronavirus, non è accettabile che si sia investito gran parte delle risorse per un vaccino la cui fattibilità rispetto ad una emergenza è stata di fatto lenta ed ancora molto rischiosa.
Io sono vaccinato premetto e non appartengo a nessuna categoria vax no vax e sciocchezze varie fatte per distrarre, dividere e sperperare le energie delle comunità.
Come si può pensare, in un clima di emergenza di puntare le maggiori risorse su di un rimedio solo che non può essere ottenuto con una certa sicurezza non prima di anni?
Certo io capisco che nel panico si possano commettere errori ma la classe politica e governativa ha delle precise responsabilità ed una di queste è la gestione del panico e soprattutto il dovere di indagare e sostenere tutte le possibili soluzione ed ascoltare tutti coloro che nel merito della proprie competenze portano il loro contributo in molti casi notevole.
Io mi sono vaccinato dopo molte riflessioni e tra i vari motivi l'ho fatto anche perché c'è la netta percezione che sia diventato un dovere sociale pur restando in realtà
una protezione essenzialmente individuale.
Differentemente credo che "la cura o il rimedio medicale" curativo sia una certezza sociale.
Adesso cosa accade che il vaccino diventa l'unica soluzione a discapito di cure che molti medici hanno effettuato con risultati ottimi.
Medici che sono stati purtroppo ghettizzati ed inascoltati messi al bando nonostante i loro ottimi risultati.
Allora io chiedo :" Tutte quelle cure che non hanno avuto lo stesso sostegno mediatico,scientifico e finanziario ottenuto dal vaccino, quali evoluzioni positive avrebbero potuto avere oggi se al contrario fossero state sostenute adeguatamente, quante vite avrebbero salvato fino ad ora?"
Non capisco la logica delle scelte fatte.
Perché escludere rimedi e non svilupparli anche se efficaci e più veloci di un vaccino?
Perché non vengono sostenute e menzionate soprattutto dai midia le cure che attualmente esistono e sono riconosciute efficaci per curare la malattia?
Queste a mio avviso sono omissioni gravissime perché si parla di vite umane da salvare in più e diversi modi e soprattutto con una adeguata, diffusa e tempestiva informazione.
Se ci sono delle cure efficaci perché non svilupparle e permettere che si diffondano rapidamente anche nei paesi poveri?
Perché solo il vaccino?
Adesso a pensar male si fa peccato ma quasi sempre si indovina e sono molte le inadempienze che a questo punto non sono più accettabili come errori o casuali.
Il vaccino va bene ma non è l'unica soluzione e chiunque impedisce che cure ed altri medicamenti efficaci non vengano diffusi, togliendo loro risorse e dunque che non raggiungano le persone bisognose, sta prendendo decisioni le cui conseguenze e responsabilità sono gravi e che un giorno verranno chiaramente riosservate e rimesse in discussione dovutamente.
Cosa si dovrebbe fare?
Esattamente ciò che ho detto muoversi in tutte le direzioni liberando tutte le risorse possibili dalla logica del profitto, se vogliamo davvero salvare noi ed i nostri fratelli e sorelle meno fortunati.
Chapeau! Your commentary is terrific and should go viral. It is intelligent, insightful, wise and profound. Congratulations!
Chapeau! Il suo commento è formidabile e dovrebbe diventare virale. È intelligente, acuto, saggio e profondo. Complimenti!
There is nothing new under the sun: rich countries always have the best, most up-to-date medicines, while poor countries have to wait for patents to expire. The best thing would be a two-price supply: one for rich, developed countries and one almost free for poor countries. That is the only way to win Covid, so it is also in the interest of the developed countries. Refusing to do two types of supply is against the interests of the more developed West.
Nulla di nuovo sotto il sole: i paesi ricchi dispongono sempre dei farmaci migliori, più attuali, mentre quelli poveri devono attendere che scadono i brevetti. La cosa migliore sarebbe una fornitura a due prezzi: una per i paesi ricchi e sviluppati e una quasi gratuita per i paesi poveri. Solo così si potrà vincere il Covid: perciò è pure nell'interesse dei paesi sviluppati. Rifiutare di agire tramite due tipi di forniture, è contro gli stessi interessi dell'Occidente più sviluppato.
I'm convinced that the rest of the world needs to be vaccinated urgently... but I must also admit to being misinformed, I didn't know for example that Africa was doing so well.
Where I do find familiar ground, however, is in the discussion of patents. The parallel is easy to draw: the price of drugs in the United States is out of control because of the lack of market regulation, and any attempt to remedy this is accused, for example, of discouraging innovation, etc. These arguments have been copied and pasted into this story of the lifting of intellectual property rights.
I think we need local production to, among other things, get around the supply problems. I think we still need to vaccinate the rest of the world to avoid variants. But I also think that the majority of Swiss people will favour the pharmaceutical industry, at the risk of paying the economic and social cost for another 2-3 years.
Personally, considering the price of the first two years, Novartis is nice but I quickly decided.
Je suis convaincu qu'il faut vacciner le reste de la planète de toute urgence... mais je dois aussi admettre être mal renseigné, je ne savais pas par exemple que l'Afrique s'en sortait si bien.
Là où par contre je retrouve un terrain familier, c'est dans la discussion sur les brevets. Le parallèle est aisé : le prix des médicaments aux États-Unis, hors de contrôle faute de régulation du marché, et où toute tentative d'y remédier est accusée, par exemple, de décourager l'innovation, etc. Des arguments pour ainsi dire copiés-collés dans cette histoire de levée des droits intellectuels.
Je pense qu'il faut une production locale pour, entre autres, contourner les problèmes d'approvisionnement. Je pense qu'il faut toujours vacciner le reste de la planète pour éviter les variants. Mais je pense aussi que la majorité des Suisses va privilégier l'industrie pharmaceutique, au risque d'en payer le coût économique et social encore 2-3 ans.
Personnellement, vu le prix des deux premières années, Novartis est gentille mais j'ai vite décidé.
Before worrying about another nation, we should look for our own first… no timelines for booster while Swiss hospitals are over crowded!
With winter starting, situation will get worse due to injuries from car accidents and sports.
Sarei d'accordo ma qui in Svizzera non si vuole vaccinare più nessuno.
Ed il governo è totalmente incapace di risolvere la situazione da mesi. Allora meglio salvare vite in altri paesi e lasciare gli altri al proprio destino
If the developed world wants to improve conditions for people living in the underdeveloped world, they need to figure out how to remove and replace corrupt, ineffective and abusive leadership. Until then, much of the aid sent will be stolen. The solution is simple, but virtually impossible to implement.
Seems to me like the least vaccinated countries are doing just fine right now! Africa’s vaccination rate is under 6% as a continent and their outcome with the virus is far better than highly vaccinated countries. I guess this is why the WHO wanted to designate it an African new variant despite it being present in many global countries. In terms of equality the business model of using taxpayer money to fund the research and then privatising the BILLIONS in profit as well as allowed those in regulatory and health bodies have financial stakes in these companies is the greater evil here. If those companies were to distribute the profits equally to lower vaccinated countries you wouldn’t just not have removed a covid issue, you’d likely alleviate poverty! We need to removal all financial interests from our regulatory bodies and exert a much stronger hand on these corner cutting pharmaceutical behemoths who are essentially dictating the vaccination policy abs regulatory process whilst reaping outrageous profits. It’s dirty.
I lived during communism and I do not want to go there with this but I am terrified to see how this, day by day, play by play is moving forward towards exactly the same direction. This is the reason why East Europe are most resilient to accept vaccines, not because of the vaccines but because they involve passports and control and all those who have seen communism face to face know where this is heading. If more people continue to accept this, by end of next year we may all say farewell to freedom and then we all will regret it, even those who put their trust in the government. It is how it works, history knows that narcissists only have a chance to infest the world with their mental illness using a crisis… Just think of all world dictators, they all got into power through a crisis… I believe that now more than never we must stay vigilant of two things: the coronavirus and all those who will take advantage from it.
Indeed, humanity will defeat Covid19 (and its variances) only when we approach it globally; take Omicron variance as example… hoarding vaccines at national level has given us a temporary and false impression of security. Hopefully Omicron has been an eye opening for all of us, such transmittable - easy to spread desease needs a globally coordinated and firm response.
On the other hand, even if wealthy countries get together to fund global access to vaccination and medicaments, overcoming the logistical, political, corruption, cultural, misinformation (and more) barriers would not be a walk in the park… each barrier will require a strategy, we need to give it as many tries as needed until we nail the problem.
In my opinion this would have been solved already if we had not only relied in vaccines. This is a virus with high mutation rate and it was known since the beginning that vaccinations is not the main neither the only solution. Not to mention that many scientists warned about the dangers of mass vaccination during active pandemic. It is a shame that the pandemic is driven by capital oriented business people and not by pure science.
The West's behaviour towards poor nations is totally shameful. The West doesn't mind enriching itself at the cost of those countries but now, that those countries are in desperate need of help, sorry...
What's new?
Ma Lei è proprio sicura che proprio riguardo alla pandemia in atto, siano i "paesi poveri" ad avere particolarmente bisogno di aiuto? Io in Africa ci vivo, ma Le garantisco che siamo arrabbiatissimi per il fatto che Macron si sia impicciato e insistendo affinchè anche qui (Nord Africa) si mettano in atto le stesse misure come in UE, con tanto di passaporto "sanitario" senza il quale non si hanno più diritti ! Ma quando la smettono di insinuarsi e di invadere paesi con pretesti vari, invece di davvero essere solidali nel senso salutare del termine, senza secondi fini ? Le assicuro che qui siamo scontenti del fatto di doverci vaccinare per forza e di avere ricevuto dosi in taluni paesi africani che pure erano in regalo e/ma.... persino scadute.
In this particular situation, where the entire world is affected, I can only say: all of us, ALL, must pull in the same direction - no exceptions, or we'll never see the end of this.
Vaccines is the new money.
Do we give and give money/vaccines to poorer countries? Will this make them richer or live longer?
This is a centuries-old question. We cannot eradicate inequality by giving and giving. The poor nations need to change from their basics.
No, I do not give money to the poor countries. I am sure most of this money disappears along the distribution channel to some dictator leadership.
Hi HAT, how do you think poor nations need to "change from their basics"? Do you think rich nations need to do this too?
This is a good point. I lived few years in an underdeveloped country due to my parents work there. I was not one of the poor but I clearly saw how for some rich countries it was not convenient for the poor ones to develop so they would actively boycott all progress towards a stable economy. Just think, if there was no poverty, there would not be people subjected to human labor exploitation which means that the rich cannot be that rich. It is dark and criminal.
Lei ha ragione, i soldi non finiscono là dove proprio ci vorrebbero, ma il lato peggiore di certi aiuti finanziari (interessati) è che arrivano spesso contro obblighi cui i paesi riceventi "aiuti" devono poi sottostare sì o sì; piaccia alla gente oppure no. L'incoerenza sta nelle politiche occidentali, non nei paesi "riceventi".
All the commentary and feelings come from you. No one but you can decide how you feel.
The economic impact of this 2 level society is very easy to see: when families lose a source of income because of the restrictions it is a lot easier to move closer to parents and siblings and have 1-2 extra people step out of the workforce to help. It is cheaper to save money together than to bring in the extra earnings.
I have 3 brothers while my wife has 2 sisters and a brother. In total 7 families with 11 children and 8 adults. 4 lost their jobs over the last 18 months and the unemployment insurance was over last month. Now it is simpler for us to leave Switzerland and just move to a cheap location home in Portugal and have 1 more person step out of the workforce but with 4 salaries and 4 adults at home we save more money than in Switzerland with 3 unemployed adults and soon to be 5.
Switzerland is losing fast its specialist and those who leave will not return as the move cost is so large it makes no sense to come back. My employers are the hospital discuss about offering raises. As soon as our apartment contracts are over in February we are all gone. The kids will go ahead with 3 adults for the holidays and not return.
After 18 years it is good-bye time and we are returning our passports as well.
I feel sad for you and your situation.
Also I feel sad that people who take swiss pass as a convenience and will abandon Switzerland the moment a crisis comes up.
Live your life in Portugal. Good luck.
@HAT - it is not the people abandoning Switzerland, but Switzerland abandoning the people.
I was born here and my husband came here when he was 2 years old. We both worked as chefs for companies organizing catering at big events and restaurants. We both lost our jobs, just like @MIPALOL619
We used up most of our savings as freelancers get almost no support. Now we'll sell our apartment in Switzerland and move to Spain where our grandparents are because there we can live longer from the apartment money which would run out fast in Zurich.
Hello and thank you for commenting. I can hear your frustration with the situation, but this discussion isn't about the situation in Switzerland, it's about vaccine inequity and distributing vaccines and medications to poorer countries. Please stay on topic. For reference, [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/terms-of-use/44141966]here[/url] are our guidelines. Thank you and kind regards.
Well, we are still here. We lost jobs, got more education, found another job and hanging in there. Just hoping the government does not make our life impossible here with the mandates. Let’s see.
I believe that we have to do everything we can to help poorer nations inoculate their populations. It is a critical effort for the governments of wealthier nations, but also for the pharmaceutical companies who are producing the vaccines and have already made billions in profits.
On the other site, it‘s important to remember that the economic toll from Covid restrictions can be even more devastating than the pandemic itself; this includes depression, starvation, crime, chronic disease and other ailments that result from economic destruction. In this respect, the developing world relies on strong economies in the developed world. Therefore, vaccination efforts that support the rich economies need to continue so that the developing world does not suffer even more.
Thank you for your comment and for pointing out also the economic fallout from this pandemic.
If there was a fairer distribution of wealth and TV stars / movie stars / millionaire footballers and their bosses, etc and companies such as social media, online delivery firms paid much higher taxes, then rich countries could afford to pay to help vaccinate poorer countries. But rich people / companies / countries helping the poor. No chance.
“Keep them poor”, you have no idea how many times I have heard that from rich people. There is no lack of resources, only unequal distribution…
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