I don’t know why I’m surprised by the all these Covid-19 Vaccine rows when ours has always been a ‘me first/ what’s in it for me?’ society. This pandemic has only revealed our true colours and they sure aren’t pretty. The masks and gloves are off, with well-off nations making it clear they intend to snatch every available vaccine. At this rate, they’ll oversee inoculations of their nationals’ pets and plants before medics and other priority groups across Africa and elsewhere get a shot. And we wonder why some people are turning to herbal concoctions for protection! It’s the panic buying frenzy yet again, even though vaccine hesitancy and sceptism even in the developed world means they probably won’t use up all the vials they’re stockpiling, at which point someone will realise that the vaccines are near expiration and suddenly think to donate to Africa like we didn’t participate in vaccine trials! All those WHO cautionary reminders about nobody being safe until all countries are free of the virus appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Would be interesting if the most effective vaccines had been developed on this continent. We’re often lauded for our hospitality and kindness so we probably wouldn’t hoard stocks because sharing is the right thing to do. EU commissioners who’ve been vocal about how their respective governments spent millions to fund vaccine research and development remind me of benefactors who throw their weight around and make all kinds of demands simply because they made a donation. If it’s a church, they want a prime parking spot and an entire pew even when they turn up late or sometimes not at all for the service and other church events.
