Wave of 'vaccine nationalism' hinders global efforts to halt coronavirus
Analysis: "If your country develops the vaccine before anyone else, immediately exporting it to another country is not a vote-winner," one expert said.
May 16, 2020, 4:53 AM EDT
By Alexander Smith
LONDON — The coronavirus crosses borders without regard for national boundaries or identities. But the response to it, and the hunt for a vaccine, has been caught up in a tide of nationalism that was already sweeping the world before the virus hit, and may end up delaying distribution of a vaccine to billions of people.
This competitive vision outlined in the United States and other vaccine-producing powerhouses such as China and India threatens to undermine the efforts of dozens of countries, which are raising billions of dollars in an attempt to find an effective immunizing shot that they say should be available equally around the world.
Some experts and former officials fear that leaders such as President Donald Trump may be pursuing the doctrine of "vaccine nationalism." This is the idea that any government whose scientists win this vaccine "race" — as it's often described — might try to hoard the shots for domestic use.
"Do you believe that Trump's base will be content with a vaccine strategy that does not 'make America great again'?" asked David Salisbury, a former director of immunization for the British Department of Health who is now an associate fellow at the London think tank Chatham House. "If your country develops the vaccine before anyone else, immediately exporting it to another country is not a vote-winner."
This tension between nationalism and internationalism was illustrated at a virtual summit hosted by the European Union last week.
more:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/wave-vaccine-nationalism-hinders-global-efforts-halt-coronavirus-n1207846?cid=eml_nbn_20200516
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