Vaccine News.

--

We once again witness the majesty of scientific genius and human innovation at work. It really does encapsulate the very best elements of human nature when we come together to combat a common biological enemy, ideology and governance and geopolitics all playing second fiddle.

This process is by no means perfect, and large profit driven companies play far too big a role in the process of public health. This vaccine, if developed and distributed, should be made available to everyone, free of charge, wherever in the world they are. That’s the ambition we need and that’s what we must work for.

This isn’t a time for party political statements, this is a time for a collective sign of relief. DO NOT relent in mask wearing, and distancing. This is good news, but it is merely a sign of the beginning of the beginning of the end. We should all walk with a spring in our step today.

Governments around the world must work to ensure this isn’t rationed to keep profits up, and guarantee it is made free and available, commandeering any private labs or tech needed to secure such equity.

How we handle this vaccine if it is chosen and passes the remaining tests, is a measure of humankind’s effectiveness in dealing with a public health threats and equity in protecting eachother. We could well be heading into an era of pandemics, and this may be the warmup act; what we’ve done to this planet as a species is taking its toll and Mother Nature is retaliating.

We wait and we watch, and we hope, a little more hopeful than yesterday.

--

--

Toby Lipatti-Mesme

Insightful and innovative UK journalism and commentary, from Toby Lipatti-Mesme.