As we get closer and closer to the goal of "herd immunity" from Covid 19, there seems to be a certain reluctance in part of the population to get the vaccine. Whether it's part of the MAGA crowd, people with experience of structural racism, ignorance or just skepticism of the efficacy of the various vaccines, it looks like up to 30% of the population will either delay being vaccinated or refuse the shots.
Lotteries, free food and drinks, cash payments and other incentives are being tried to lure people to protect themselves. All this and we still have a surplus of the vaccines in the US. Meanwhile, in many other parts of the world, there is little or no hope of mass vaccination because of a shortage of the life saving medicines. Many far eastern countries have vaccinated less than 10% of their population and it looks like some of the variants of Covid are much more transmissible than the original strain.
As we cater to the Hamlets among us in an effort to jab our way out of the epidemic, we ignore the plight of the rest of the world at our peril. We need to lead the way in production and distribution on a world wide basis or we may soon develop a fortress America attitude leading to our isolation as an island in the sea of a worldwide epidemic.
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