Vaccine Hoarding is the Real Biden Scandal
Criticizing the Democratic President for not making global health a priority is a net good.
Joe Biden’s foes make it easy to disregard them by constantly harping on fake scandals (Hunter Biden’s laptop! Kamala Harris’s Memorial Day Tweet!). So it’s important to take note of a criticism that actually hits the mark. I was very heartened to see the National Review go after Biden’s “utterly embarrassing failure to quickly send extra U.S. vaccine doses overseas.”
It is embarrassing. Equally shameful is the vaccine hoarding of Canada, Western Europe, and other wealthy nations. As Sue Halpern of the New Yorker notes, “without a concerted global commitment to vaccine equity, poorer regions will remain vulnerable to ferocious outbreaks, giving the SARS-CoV-2 virus the opportunity to evolve and, in a worst-case scenario, result in a chronic, never-ending pandemic.”
This is one area where partisanship should be junked. More broadly, it’s also a case where acting in self-interest aligns with the common good. If Biden’s critics want to scream at him for not ramping up global vaccination efforts, then the proper response, from even Biden’s biggest fans, is to join them in the yelling
(Edited by Emily Keeler).
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Another point worth mentioning is that Biden has politicized vaccines from the “wrong” countries. So if China or Russia offer vaccines these are described as coming “with strings attached” (NPR this morning) or as part of “vaccine diplomacy.” There are even reports that the US has pressured countries to shun these vaccines when made available. This is even more heinous than not delivering extra vaccines and it is pursued simply to ratchet up cold warish sentiments within the US and abroad. The US handling of the covid pandemic has been appalling in virtually every way. The vaccine story is just the latest chapter.
Smallpox was completely eradicated by vaccines, while polio and tetanus is very rare because of vaccines. Measles had a recent resurgence among the unvaccinated. Yet the covid vaccine has created more fear and political polarization because we've allowed liars and kooks to dominate the headlines in the name of "bothsiderism" and free speech..
The media (especially social media) has little accountability for the havoc that is being caused by grandstanding third world dictators and incompetent populist charlatans (yes, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Egypt and Tanzania, I'm talking to you) trying to provide cover for their own protectionist startups or other lies, why are we expecting Biden to shoulder the blame for their incompetent and weak leaders?
Yes, some places are hoarding, or have vaccine shortages and long lines of people who want to be vaccinated, but many vaccine tents sit empty as the thawed batches are thrown away because they were spoiled when no one came for them . The bigger culprits in this fight are unchallenged misinformation, disinformation, opportunism, idiocy and politicization....not vaccine availability. How is yelling at Biden for this going to help get more people into the vaccine tents for shots? Get real.