Imperialism and Covid
Covid , the once in a century pandemic has started an unprecedented pharmaceutical race over the globe . Corporates around the world vied with each other to bring the vaccine first to capture the world market . Never was the market so large and so global for globalisation not only brought the markets together but also spread viruses , diseases and hunger to every corner of the world . For Capitalist destruction not only reached the Amazon it even took Covid to its interior tribes . While by its very nature , governments in capitalist countries , though having every resource to develop vaccines , restricted themselves to funding Multinational Corporation , placing pre orders and procuring . Further , Capitalism wants to use this crisis to gain its losing ground and continue the subjugation of the countries and peoples . Imperialist Countries Hoarding Vaccines :
The US initially refused to accept the severity of Corona virus pandemic and led to lakhs of deaths in the suburbs where Black and Latin American communities lived . As is everywhere , the burden of Capitalism falls on the poor , even in Capitalist countries . India and Brazil followed US in its laxity . But after a strong back lash from the public , The Trump administration funnelled $ 10 billion into the Operation Warp Speed program , including $ 1.95 billion to Pfizer for 100 million vaccine doses . The pay-out was guaranteed , even if the vaccine failed to receive emergency authorisation . Similar purchasing arrangements were made with Moderna , which also received $ 1.5 billion for research . Four other July - 2021 pharmaceutical companies joined Operation Warp Speed and scooped up heaps of taxpayer dollars .
Over all , the US has acquired enough vaccines for three times its population . Hoarding , for the sake of ensuring that Americans are vaccinated first and foremost – even if that means scores of vaccines go unused . After some criticism , Biden agreed to distribute some superfluous vaccines to Mexico and Canada . This is not an act of generosity but to prevent unvaccinated nations at its borders . In true American fashion , these vaccines are essentially loans .
The EU has ordered 1600 million doses for its adult population of roughly 375 million … the UK has ordered 219m full vaccinations for its 54 million adults ( a surplus of 165m ), while Canada , even Its own vaccine production was hamstrung by the privatization of a government-owned vaccine lab , has ordered 188m full vaccinations for its 32 million adults ( an excess of 156 million ).
Pfizer ’ s German partner - BioNTech was given $ 445 million by the government of Germany . Scarcity Created by Capitalist :
Vaccine candidates received significant public funding from governments , but none of this money had conditions attached that would guarantee access , including requiring companies to transfer all technology to other vaccine manufacturers , be transparent about their costs , or sell their vaccines at-cost .
We have the most advanced technology with global distribution networks with the capability to manufacture enough vaccines and immunize all people within a month .
But this won ’ t happen in a Capitalist society where profits are foremost , and a crisis of this magnitude provides super profits . So , they have the mechanism of patents , bilateral agreements , and World Trade organisations that ensure the unavailability or availability at the risk of sovereignty .
Oxford University [ covishield ] initially promised to create an opensource vaccine that could be reproduced by anyone with the capacity to do so .
Unfortunately , the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , which practices its own form of colonialism by manipulating the healthcare systems of entire nations , intervened and pushed Oxford to partner with a pharmaceutical company . The university then signed an exclusive deal with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca , giving it sole rights . Initially AstraZeneca , pledged to sell their vaccine at a ‘ no profit ’ price during the pandemic , while both Pfizer and Moderna have said they will not sell their COVID-19 vaccines at cost . Later even AstraZenca too back tracked .
Pharmaceutical companies have become gatekeepers to products that are , in reality , a sum of collective resources and knowledge . COVID-19 vaccines , for example , are built on existing technologies and data from publicsector workers and institutions , and developed with billions in public funding ; governments and charitable trusts funded 97 % of the AstraZeneca vaccine research while developers retained full ownership . In India too , from virus culturing , isolating , to drug testing , to genome sequencing the load of the main research activity and the
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