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* Uri Friedman at the Atlantic…
The shift to the pandemic’s vaccination phase has prompted many people to dwell at the micro level: When will I be fully vaccinated? When will my family and friends get their shots? When can we all revert to something resembling normal life? But that has lent a false sense of security to the vaccinated and obscured the perils lurking at the macro level, as devastating new waves of COVID-19 crash over countries such as India and Brazil and spread more transmissible variants of the virus beyond their shores.
“The United States may be advancing remarkably [with] the pace of vaccination, but so long as you have uncontrolled pandemics throughout the world, every contagion increases the likelihood of an ‘escape variant’ that eventually, with the level of interconnectedness we have, will find its way even [to] populations that have been vaccinated,” Julio Frenk, a former Mexican health minister and World Health Organization official, told me. “No one is safe until everyone is safe.” [..]
“The more contagion you have, the higher the likelihood that you will have a mutation and that that mutation will lead to a more contagious variant. And that’s exactly what’s happened,” said Frenk, now the president of the University of Miami. […]
Pedro Hallal, the lead investigator for EPICOVID-19, the largest epidemiological study of COVID-19 in Brazil, told me that he’s concerned about new variants popping up in Brazil that could, for example, be more dangerous for children or undermine the effectiveness of existing vaccines. Brazil, he said, has become a “variants factory.” […]
At its current sluggish pace, Brazil will take another 12 months to vaccinate 75 percent of its population.
Go read the whole thing, particularly the last couple of paragraphs.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 3:29 am
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The US Government needs to say they will soon begin shipping surplus vaccine supplies to hotspots like Brazil and India. Then maybe the holdouts in the America First crowd will get the vaccine out of spite to keep “those people” from obtaining it.
Comment by Independent Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 7:50 am
Independent - 👍. The old ‘dog in the manger’ aspect. Another ploy would be to start calling hold outs ‘chickens/wusses’…..the old schoolyard ‘Whatsamatter, ‘fraid to get a ,,,,,’. However, I’d strongly suggest you have a Concealed Carry’ authorization. Just in case.
Comment by Sayitaintso Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 8:07 am
“so long as you have uncontrolled pandemics throughout the world, every contagion increases the likelihood of an ‘escape variant’ that eventually, with the level of interconnectedness we have, will find its way even [to] populations that have been vaccinated”
If we didn’t know better, one might think that the life of every human being on Earth — including each and every one of us — is somehow tied to and intertwined with the lives of every other human being on Earth.
But we all know that’s just commie talk and hippy-dippy nonsense, rite??
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 8:20 am
Per the last couple of paragraphs:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/5/10/22429168/new-white-house-panel-aims-separate-science-politics
Comment by mrp Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 8:30 am
Darren Bailey just heard that thirty Brazilians died of a new variant. He reportedly asked “how many is a Brazilian?”
Comment by don the legend Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 8:34 am
It’s simultaneously heartbreaking and mind blowing that some of my friends and family still refuse to get the vaccine. With so many adults here and across the country refusing to GE themselves and their kids vaccinated, we’ll never see the end of this.
Comment by Chito Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 8:40 am
Unfortunately some people won’t get it until they get it.
Comment by Pundent Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 8:48 am
It’s a global pandemic, we share the planet, we as a global society need to look out for, not only our neighbors here, but our neighbors whom we share this world.
It’s not about caring if “you” get it, it’s about “you” being part of spreading a potentially deadly virus because “freedom”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:02 am
Go get your shots, then read the whole thing, particularly the last couple of paragraphs.
FTFY Rich.
Comment by ChrisB Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:17 am
Thankfully, the vaccines are proving very effective against the variants too. The people who came up with the vaccines know their stuff.
Comment by Working Hands Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:25 am
“won’t get it until they get it”
Anecdotal, but I know a few who were sick with Covid pre-vaccination era, and still refuse to be vaccinated.
Some people can be hit with a 2×4 and still argue lumber ain’t hard.
Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:32 am
all credit to John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
Comment by Humboldt Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:34 am
True words Flyin’ Elvis.
At their core a lot of the “freedom” fighters don’t like to be told what to do especially by “the libs.” Using science, logic, or facts is going to be futile particularly since the echo chamber they surround themselves with continues to validate their feelings. If there is an “enemy of the people” it would be those that spread propaganda purely for ratings, divisiveness, and profit.
Comment by Pundent Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:45 am
Independent @7:50, I’m pretty sure the Biden administration did announce they’d be shipping vaccine to hard-hit countries like India and Brazil.
I like your idea, though. Maybe “Grab my vaccine before those foreigners get it” is a good approach to persuasion. We don’t necessarily have to mention it’s the AstraZeneca vaccine (not currently used in the U.S.) that the government is sending. …
Comment by Crispy Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:45 am
Maybe it will come down to certain places requiring vaccine passports. I for one want as much protection as possible from populist fools who despise and distrust “elitist” scientists and government pandemic experts like Dr. Fauci, but worship dangerous know-nothings like Trump.
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 9:58 am
it’s true that variants are a concern. But don’t forget both Moderna and Pfizer are capable of cranking out a booster to rapidly address a variant before it gets too far. I would hope such boosters could get through the FDA more quickly.
And while yes the right answer is immunizing the world, I am not sure rewarding poor choices (for instance India spends 3.8% of its GDP on healthcare compared to 9% of Brazil’s GDP and 16% of the US GDP) with no strings whatsoever is a good approach either. India has nukes and a space program it can jolly well afford to spend more for public health.
Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 10:28 am
Also critical is waiving the IP protections for the vaccines, which the Biden administration has thankfully said it supports. Pharma companies will still make a killing, but we need to get as many firms as possible producing these things as fast as possible, and profit needs to take a back seat.
Comment by Actual Red Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 10:57 am
Gotta put your own oxygen mask on before helping others put on their mask. Put another way, we can fight 200 small fires ineffectively, or focus our efforts on putting out 1 fire, then turn that focus to the next fire with additional help, then to the next, and so on. It is the debt-snowball method of eradication.
So, to a certain extent focusing on us so that we can then focus on them may be a useful strategy. But, we do need to commit to helping others as soon as we can, because ultimately we are all in this together.
Comment by thechampaignlife Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 11:09 am
I’m not big on the idea of waiving the IP protections on the vaccines. It seems we would be better served to find ways to assist those who came up with the vaccine to ramp up production and distribute it to the other countries.
Concerned that it could discourage investments into other Biotech advancements in the United States if we just give away what cost us millions upon millions of investment money in research towards development.
But i’m open to listening to the reasons people feel it is a better route than assisting those here to ramp up production for those overseas, just my initial thoughts.
Comment by Seats Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 11:30 am
== if we just give away what cost us millions upon millions of investment money in research towards development.==
Americans revealed themselves as a truly monstrous people during this pandemic. Something I’ll never be able to shake
Comment by SWIL_Voter Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 11:34 am
I’m also not big on waiving patents. Seems like it would take more time for them to apply the technology than it would for Pfizer and Moderna to deliver vaccines.
Also mRNA vaccines are cool technologies with a lot of possible therapeutic uses. I’d hate for that technology to be appropriated by the Chinese and Indians neither of which have good IP protections.
Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 11:56 am
* Americans revealed themselves as a truly monstrous people during this pandemic. Something I’ll never be able to shake*
Independent, not monstrous.
Comment by The Gringo Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 3:56 pm
==Independent, not monstrous.==
I would argue monstrous is a good descriptor. Definitely selfish.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 4:11 pm
=Americans revealed themselves as a truly monstrous people during this pandemic. Something I’ll never be able to shake=
You seem to have missed the part about the government stepping in to help the companies who made the discovery to even further ramp up production and distribute it across the world. Nothing monstrous about respecting the scientist and finding a way to help that doesn’t negatively effect them.
Comment by Seats Tuesday, May 11, 21 @ 4:11 pm