With the Covid-19 vaccine entering the bloodstream of people around the world, the ebbing of the pandemic and the hope of recovery has finally become a reality that can be imagined
However, the biggest hurdle in moving forward as a global force against the raging pandemic remains Capitalism
We are already witnessing that the vaccine is apportioned according to wealth
While the rich countries have already secured the bulk of what limited vaccine is available, developing and weak economies, housing majority of the global population, are left to fend for themselves
There is a real threat that lopsided distribution may worsen the situation, adding to inequality and increasing exploitation the world over
Amid all this, Pakistan seems to be at the tail-end of the immunisation race
As of yet, the country has made arrangements to procure only 1
1 million vaccine doses from a Chinese company and is waiting to receive around 45 million free vaccine doses through the UN’s Covax mechanism, with the intention to cover 20% population
What is, however, scary is the fact that numbers don’t add up: allocating $150 million to cover vaccines for 5% of the population, the country has only been able to procure 1
1 million doses, enough for hardly 0
2% of the population
From this, it is doubtful that the government has any real plan in mind
However, regardless of falling short of a mammoth target, it is absolutely essential that whatever little vaccine procured needs to be administered to frontline workers and those that are the most vulnerable, instead of it falling into the hands of the rich and powerful
During such unprecedented times, pharma firms and elite businessmen are expected to take responsibility in collaboration with the government
If efficiently securing the vaccine seems to be an arduous task, one wonders how effectively the authorities will be able to roll them out to the masses
The whole process needs to be systematically evaluated and designed
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2021
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| Date: | 14-Jan-2021 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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