Europe Is Hoarding Vaccines And Not Even Using Them
The pointless, destructive greed of white folk
I have an Oxford vaccine in my arm right now, making me feel like shit. It’s great. This vaccine almost completely protects against severe disease. It will save lives. It could save my life. These vaccines, however, can’t save any lives in a fridge, which is where the EU is keeping many of them.
Nearly 80% of AstraZeneca vaccines in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy are going unused. It’s galling because these countries made such a big show about hoarding, cast doubts on the vaccine, and now they’re not even using them. It’s the most pointless act of evil imaginable. While the world wants, they waste.
After battling with AstraZeneca over shipment delays, and even casting doubt over its Covid-19 jab’s efficacy, EU countries are seeing stocks of the company’s shots pile up — unused. As of Friday, France had administered 16 per cent of the 1.1m doses of the two-injection vaccine it received since the first delivery in early February, according to health ministry data. As of Thursday, Germany had given a little over one-fifth of the 1.45 million doses, about the same proportion as Italy, which has received over 1m doses. Spain has used just under a third of a total of 808,000 doses as of Friday. (FT)It is difficult to overstate what a big show the EU made about getting these vaccines. They blocked exports, attacked AstraZeneca publicly, and increased vaccine hesitancy by nonsensically saying the shot shouldn’t be used for those over 65. This led to a public situation where Angela Merkel said she wouldn’t take the vaccine (as she’s 66) and confidence has plummeted.
Now the EU has a bunch of vaccine they made a big show of both hoarding and shitting on, and they’re going unused. This of course does no one any good. While the world needs a shot in the arm, the EU has been giving everyone the finger.
The EU Have Been Consistently Shit
The EU has been consistently evil and incompetent this whole pandemic. Call it malcompetence. They only looked good next to the dumpster fire that was America, but the EU is in fact a flaming pile of garbage in and of itself. Most of the world was infected through Europe. The Wuhan variant is long gone as China stopped spread. Europe never did, and spread its mutations across the world.
Angela Merkel gets praise for some great leadership, but where has she led? Germany’s outbreak has been worse than Iran’s and a complete shitshow compared to places like Vietnam. Their vaccine rollout is a mess as well. She only looks good next to Donald Trump, graded on a racist curve.
Worst of all, these countries are not just fucking themselves, they’re actively fucking the world. The EU has been chief among nations in blocking patent-free vaccines at the WTO. They’re making no attempt to share mRNA technology as the WHO has recommended. Instead, in classic European fashion, they’ve been bickering among each other and getting everybody else killed.
The AstraZeneca Row
This has been particularly egregious with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Other countries are manufacturing the same ‘formula’ competently, but the EU’s own factories fell short. Furious, the EU slapped export controls on all vaccines leading other vaccine nationalists like Japan being like ‘dafuq?’
It was a fit of pique, made worse by spite. European regulators also started a campaign of essentially sour grapes, saying this shot wasn’t good for people over 65-years-old. They called for more data — repeating their first wave mistake —waiting for data when delay means only death. The Oxford vaccine has been shown to prevent death, and not giving it to elderly people costs lives. Making a big scuffle about it also had the effect of increasing vaccine hesitancy in general.
Now the EU has the vaccines, and Europeans don’t want them. The EU is like a fox who got the grapes and pissed on them, ruining them for everyone else.
The Cost To The World
It’s galling because other people have nothing. As of mid-February, 130 countries have not administered a single dose. The million shots wasted in Europe could be vaccinating first responders right now. Instead they’re just rotting in European fridges.
That’s the most infuriating thing. In Sri Lanka we’ve got the same formula and people are lining up in the sun to get it. In Europe they have much more, they’re blocking exports, and they’re not even using it. The EU is like a dragon sitting atop a pile of gold that it has no understanding of, but they’ll be damned if they let anyone else near.
We must recognize that these are not good people. The EU has been pointlessly, destructively dumb. They have in fact been evil. For humanity we must look elsewhere. India doesn’t have enough, but they are still sharing with the world. Senegal doesn’t have shit, but they’re sharing with their neighbors. This is humanity, united against the virus. Then there is Europe, vaccinating more fridges (and bank accounts) than human beings.
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