Vaccine Politics: Where benefits out weigh global health

In the world today, the divide between nations and ethnicities has never been more prominent. The natural hate and quick acquisitions made against those different from us is unprecedented. In light of COVID, these same things apply. So many people blame China for the virus, rather rationally or irrationally. Going beyond that, so many people argue conspiracies about China purposefully creating the virus. If China was to produce a vaccine that is superior to any other vaccination, there will be outrage. These conspiracies will run rampant, the prejudice Chinese ethnic people face will progress, the United State's President may make rash decisions involving these accusations, the list is endless. If an American vaccine becomes the most effective, it is likely other countries will accuse the US of stealing it from another country. I also think that if the American vaccine proves most effective, there will be some US citizens that will opt out to getting the vaccine. If Russia has the most effective vaccine, I also feel like so many Americans will opt out on receiving the vaccine. The amount of stigma that surrounds other countries, or even one's own is unbelievable. With access to the internet, so many people have developed a superiority in their ideologies. These is seen especially with information relating to COVID-19, and the wide spread opinions of other countries. 

In a spotlight perspective, if the most effective vaccine is from China, there will be very interesting shifts made. The balance between skepticism and need for the vaccination will be a strain most world leaders will feel. China would gain more power in global politics, as they would hold the 'gold prize' everyone desperately needs. This will cause even more tension amongst the other countries involved because a shift in political control is never a universal pleasantry. If China chose to withhold the vaccine from another 'super power' country, the potential for war will increase. If China chose to go as far as isolating the vaccine to themselves, the likelihood for a third World War would rise drastically. The only way vaccine politics can be 'smooth' would be if there was a global agreement to distribute the most effective vaccine formula. If this were to happen it would allow for each country to generate the vaccine for their population, independently. The likelihood of this happening though is unfortunately very slim.

An interview with Drew, A UPS worker during COVID

(Part B - watch second)

( Part A - watch first)

This is an interview with Drew Smith, who works for UPS. He explains and discusses what it's like to work at such a large scale company during a global pandemic. I find this to be a crucial part of COVID-19 experiences because of the importance of essential workers during this time. Further that, It's important people are aware of the conditions these people are put through everyday.  

A sad time to say goodbye to traditions

 At my high school, there were many senior traditions. The one that was everyone's favorite, that every single person looked forward to doing, was signing your name on the tower your last day of senior year. Unfortunately, my class' last day was spent over zoom. We received an email from the school saying that the event would be cancelled and would hopefully be rescheduled. One of the parents sat out a box of chalk, that had enough for each student in our class to use and keep their stick of chalk, on the front stairs of the school. Another tradition we missed, was walking out of the front doors after signing the tower. Every person in my class came (at different times so it was safe for everyone) and signed their names on the front stairs. It wasn't what we were supposed to get, and it's not fair that we had to end such an important time this way. But we made the most of the situation and still were able to hold on to some piece of tradition. 

The fever dream that has been COVID-19 times

 I was scrolling through my TikTok feed today and came across this video. This person has compiled the photos and videos she had taken from the beginning of the pandemic. It contains things that represent life for almost everybody, or more specifically every teen during that time. It includes photos of the "whipped coffee' trend and the "chole ting" workout trend that were super popular during quarantine. The things shown in this video seem like they happened so long ago, but as soon as I watched it, the feelings attached to the events returned. 

COVID vaccines and global cooperation

COVID-19 vaccinations are the talk of the town right now. Everyone is wondering when and how it will be distributed, will it work? what's it made from? and so on... What makes this vaccine particularly interesting is the global communication and partnership required. This vaccine is necessary for people all over the world, as fast as possible.  Keeping this fact in mind can help understanding the global involvement. The production of the vaccine is being worked on by experts and laboratories all over the world. The world's largest vaccine maker, The Serum Institute of India, has begun one of the most risky gambles in the quest for COVID-19 vaccines. They're planning to distribute mass amounts of a presumed vaccine before trails have concluded. While this may be good or bad, people are wondering if the vaccine will be contained in India, or if it will be distributed globally. This situation shows one of the largest battles with global vaccine endeavors. Ones loyalty to their "own people" and "personal finances" vs. global responsibility. There's no evidence that they will try to contain the vaccine, but it's a fear people have right now. The Oxford designed vaccine is one of many vaccines that will be mass produced in factories all around the world. There are scientists from all over the world working in labs to produce this vaccine right now. There has been numerous partnerships made between these companies in order to be most efficient. American and European governments have devoted funds to these projects, as well as making deals with major pharmaceutical companies to churn these out faster. I think these examples show how the production of a COVID-19 vaccine has become a global endeavor. It is not a system contained to just one region, or one peoples. It involves every country, working together, to help get to the common end goal. 

In distribution of COVID-19, there has been a recent notice in the requirements for shipment. These vaccines need to be kept at freezing temperatures (some as low as negative 80 degrees Celsius) until they are injected. This poses a question people all around the world are trying to solve together. How can we efficiently ship and store these materials at that temperature? Companies such as UPS and FED EX are currently working on stores to keep these frozen. The main idea being to create a "freezer farm", this has become so global that something similar is being created in the Netherlands. Pfizer has created a chamber for their vaccines to travel in. The glass making company, Corning, is creating a glass vial that could withstand the freezing temperatures. These are just a few examples of the mass global communication and teamwork happening in order to distribute the vaccine to everyone. 

The production of a COVID-19 vaccine has, and will continue to involve other people and places. This is because this vaccine is of most importance at this moment. Most other things have been moved to the back burner in order to focus on it. Factories, such as the Corning glass factory, are now predominately focusing on a new glass technique. This has effected the people working there, and the area around them because of new resources needed. Every single person and place is affected by the production, whether it's first hand or second hand. The first hand people being directly affected (such as the workers) and second hand people being those dealing with higher taxes and such. 

All in all, the global production and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine requires complete global communication and cooperation. It's been most interesting to witness many countries come together to address the common issue and debate on how to fix it. This shows the underlying humanity that is so often forgot in the "them vs us" mindset present. People have forgotten that there is no real difference between individuals that live elsewhere. This pandemic and the production of this vaccine has brought this back to their attention. One nation could not produce and distribute a vaccine by itself. The cooperation and knowledge of those all over the world is needed.