Quote:
Originally Posted by 1andrew1
Exactly.
People seem angrier with a bloc of countries that has sent us 21m vaccines and has no export ban in place than with countries that have imposed export bans and in the case of the USA, have sent us no vaccines at all!
It doesn't seem entirely logical.
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Again, I’m going to insist on correct terminology here because it makes a difference.
No bloc of countries has sent us a single vaccine. A drug company has done so, from its manufacturing site in Belgium. That’s important, because the EU is trying to defend its export control plans based on a completely bogus appeal to reciprocity (this week, at least, it’s reciprocity between nations - last week it was all to do with extra-judicial punishment of manufacturers the EU claimed had failed to fulfil contract).
Vaccine export is a matter of foreign policy when it suits them, and a matter of contract law, likewise, when it suits them. Their position is fundamentally dishonest. Either they have an emergency, and are invoking emergency controls, or they aren’t.
The positions in the United States and in India are, conversely, very clear. The USA invoked emergency legislation to prevent all exports. We knew from very early on they were likely to do this, which is why Oxford’s naive attempt to tie up with Merck, which would have manufactured in the US, was overruled by the UK government in favour of AstraZeneca.
India, likewise, isn’t farting around trying to pretend it’s doing something other than what it is. It, too, is invoking emergency powers to ensure the spreading pandemic in India is addressed quickly. Frankly I think they are quite right to do so. I wouldn’t feel too great about receiving a vaccine manufactured in India as it can do a whole lot more good over there.