March 2020, war is declared! A deadly virus is attacking us. This is the end of the world. We close everything. Shops, offices, schools. We stay at home. We wash our hands and stay away from neighbors.
Our only hope, our only weapon, to protect ourselves, save us: the vaccine. Science is on a mission. We are in the cinema Armageddon : brave Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, these are scientists, an asteroid capable of destroying the planet is a coronavirus. A legion of men and women in white robes streak toward the horizon as Aerosmith sings. I don’t want to miss anything… You are our heroes. Our life is in your hands.
The countdown has begun. Finding a vaccine takes two years at best. Will it be too late? Will the Earth already be destroyed? Great efforts are being made. Laboratories are overheating. Researchers search day and night. And a miracle happens.
PHOTO HUGO-SEBASTIEN OBER, PRESS ARCHIVE
“Our only hope, our only weapon, to protect ourselves, save us: the vaccine,” writes Stéphane Laporte.
In early November, just eight months after the alarm, the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is ready with a 90% efficacy. It’s D Day. Troops can land! Let all factories around the world start producing it. Let every human hand take it.
This is not entirely true. The rest of the pharmaceutical companies continue to look to their side. But why, if a solution has been found? The magic potion of Getafix, we give it to everyone. The survival of humanity depends on it.
Not so fast. Despite the scale of the crisis, the laws of the market must be respected. The discovery of Pfizer and BioNTech is patented. It belongs to them. They have achieved this through their investment and know-how. Now they are going to make it profitable. Let the others push themselves a little. Our formula is our formula.
In the following weeks, other companies took up the challenge: Moderna, AstraZeneka, Johnson & Johnson. The production is increasing, but there are so many doses to be made.
In my great naivety, I admit that I am a little surprised. Given the scale of the disaster, I thought from the start that the race for the COVID-19 vaccine was a humanitarian undertaking. what Big Pharma became large bazaar. Large talent community. All allies find a solution.
This was not the case. Once again, competition has pushed this frantic search. Okay, we can understand, the car is made like this. But the blow that crosses the finish line the faster, the blow that the elixir has been found, we share in the most sacred way to stop the pandemic.
Not at all. We can close schools and businesses. Endanger important sectors of the economy. But we cannot stop pharmaceuticals from generating maximum profits. Profit as from the use of the situation. Not many here are outraged. In the end, we owe them our lives.
Except for those who die. Free competition has its limits. Vaccines are in short supply. Not with us. But in India, Africa and many less fortunate parts of the world. The abolition of patents will allow more resources to be mobilized to produce more doses.
Fortunately, Joe Biden is the President of the United States. The person to whom the rest of humanity matters. We are far fromAmerica first… Of course, he wants his America to be strong, but not because others are too weak.
Therefore, Biden dares to ask for the abolition of patents. Sales Representative Catherine Tai says: “The extreme circumstances of the pandemic call for extraordinary action. It’s right here. We are in an unusual, abnormal. Disease is already enough to store billions of dollars. With COVID-19, pharmaceutical companies agree to do a little less than they could. To give the opportunity to refuel as quickly as possible, those who need it urgently.
The 164 members of the World Trade Organization have yet to be convinced. A unanimous decision on their part will force the vaccine developers to share their production methods. So submit! Encourage them to be heroes to the end.
If vaccination here implies the return of good weather, elsewhere in the world it is hell. We must act. Also out of solidarity and selfishness. Because when hell comes somewhere in the world, it always catches up with us. We must begin to understand this. Be aware of this better than we were in February 2020. Now we know what we should ignore what is happening in the distance.
This is why we have to go. For equality to live and survive.
Long live the free vaccine! Available to everyone. Let’s multiply the doses. And for the sake of yourself and others, let us get ours.
