Inoculation Efficiency

We know the names by now, start with the golden child, Pfizer
Their application of mRNA vaccines led the way, as did that of Moderna
That last featured a weekend assist from good old Doctor Fauci
Fingers crossed, modulo new variants, we're on the way to herd immunity

And then there's the Oxford AstraZeneca variant that one should mention
Whose rollout in the UK temporarily saved the clown Boris Johnson
Surprising really, that vaccine bounce seems to have paused the clock
When the Grim Political Reaper should have dealt with him and Matt Hancock

For their neglect is measured in tens of thousands of dead bodies
And worldwide, there've been millions of devastated families
Sure, the virus sets the timeline and has moved to new epicenters
But the wounds have cut too deep; these are affairs to remember

While Merck were disappointed with the results of their own concoction
Uncle Amtrak Joe cajoled them to assist Johnson & Johnson
Well, cajoled is the nice way of putting that fact
He quietly threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act

They hastened to act quickly,
  this was no time to be quibbling about consent
When the specter has been raised,
   in this emergency, about waiving patents
No, it wouldn't do. Pharmaceutical profits,
   hook or crook, had to be maintained
Without intellectual property protections,
   monopolists are in a world of pain

We're all learning about logistics and vaccine supply chains
And about custom fridges and efficiently deployed cold chains
When you lack infrastructure
  you favor something cheap and easy to store
A surefire reason those in the global south would prefer a one stop shop

All those making a fuss about vaccine efficiency
  have fallen for misdirection
Spare a thought for those highlighting
  who controls the means of production
Generics is the watchword and its corollary is profits
Like the quote from The Graduate, "One word: Plastics"

One read that GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi are also playing catch up
But all these new variants mean that there'll be time enough to level up
While we now hear about vaccine diplomacy,
   I must say it's a seller's market
For when no one is coming, as a buyer,
  you'll pay whatever usurious price is set

This note is part of a series: In a covidious time

File under: coronavirus, pandemic, culture, observation, humour, vaccine, competition, economics, strategy, monopoly, capitalism, power, shell game, public health, poetry, covidious, Observers are worried, toli

Writing log: May 3, 2021

Emotional Vaccination

Now that Pfizer has gotten their two jabs of flesh,
(Or was it Moderna's two pinpricks at rest?),
After the Oxford AstraZeneca two step potion
Comes the Johnson & Johnson one stop concoction

Sputnik flies again, the one from Gamaleya Research in Russia
And what of the Sinovac, the CoronaVac from China?
My parents in Ghana recently benefited from the Covax facility
But, while overjoyed, never mentioned the brand equity

A relief, but this lack of detail is causing me to wonder
For, if it was a two dose variant, say the Covaxin from India,
Whether there will be enough supply of vaccine for Ghana
Since this pandemic has seen a surge in those epicenters

The mosquito principle, while deceptively simple,
   points to a few limitations
The most obvious is that mitigating a global disease
   requires global solutions
In political philosophy, the problem is described as collective action
Social living is only the start of the journey to emotional vaccination

This note is part of a series: In a covidious time

File under: coronavirus, pandemic, culture, observation, humour, vaccine, competition, social, strategy, relief, coordination, public health, poetry, covidious, Observers are worried, toli

Writing log: May 2, 2021