In laboratories around the world, hundreds of scientists are racing to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus and end the pandemic that has brought global commerce, travel and much of everyday life to a screeching halt.
But while the eyes of private business, civil society and the news media are fixated on which vaccine candidates look the most promising and how soon a cure could be available for widespread use, comparatively less attention is being paid to the toxic chain of events that could unfold internationally once a vaccine is ready and national governments compete over access to it.
If the global race over the past few weeks and months to procure coronavirus-related medical equipment is anything to go by — the one that has seen national, state and local governments, the private sector and multilateral institutions compete with one another to outbid, scoop up and hoard scant quantities of diagnostic tests, personal protective equipment and ventilators — then the competition to acquire precious quantities of a new vaccine will be something the likes of which the world has never seen. Continue reading.