Editorial
Wonder and Justice of the Vaccine
Where in 2020 we were waiting in anticipation for the development of a vaccine against the devastation of COVID 19, in 2021 we celebrated its arrival. Within one year there were multiple vaccines available to fight COVID-19, and its Delta variant, which in itself represented a phenomenal scientific achievement. It was the light at the end of the tunnel and a wonderous moment.
To the layperson, the scientific community appeared united in and focused on its mission to preserve life against a fatal disease. In contrast, society and its political, social and economic structures revealed a sharp divide. At its peak the COVID-19 pandemic had taken the lives of over three million people worldwide. Those fortunate to be employed endured personal restrictions, while others faced unemployment, homelessness and discrimination. Measures to bring the pandemic under control such as curfews, travel restrictions and lockdowns had wide ranging ripple effects from worsening mental health, growing poverty, and increased domestic violence. COVID-19 has changed our societies in profound ways, consolidating existing inequalities evident even within and between countries in terms of prevention and treatment of the virus.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General of WHO, described the failure of equitable roll-out of vaccines to third world countries as the ‘catastrophic moral failure’ of our time. We could also add, inequitable roll out to the most marginalised in advanced societies to that list. At the G7 Nations meeting in June 2021, world leaders met in Cornwall to discuss how to ‘fight, and then build back better from coronavirus”. They pledged to donate 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries, which according to WHO falls shockingly short of the 11 billion needed. Dr Tedros suggested that “a charity model is inadequate and insufficient: it detracts from the realisation of vaccine equity as a social justice issue and from recognition of the role that many high-income countries play in making other countries ‘resource-poor’.
Dr Tedros articulated that what is needed is a waiver on the Intellectual Property Rights of the vaccines which would see countries being able to produce their own vaccines. Advanced countries would also need to lift embargoes on exporting raw material, such as glass vials and sharing knowledge and technologies for production and distribution. ‘Vaccine nationalism’ prevents ‘vaccine equity’.
In Australia, we experienced a slight delay in distribution because we had not received our supply from the international pharmaceutical companies but unlike less developed countries, there was never any question that we would. Once arrived, medical advice given was that people with compromised immune systems would be prioritised, which seems reasonable and just. We expected the roll out to be systematic, fair, efficient and comprehensive. However, months since its arrival we discovered that the most vulnerable groups, the disabled, the elderly, refugees and the indigenous were less vaccinated than the general population.
Local Government Areas with the low social economic indices and low vaccination rates recorded high numbers of people infected and dying from COVID-19. It was a question of supply apparently, yet high social economic suburbs did not appear to have the same supply problem. Rich independent schools in Sydney were even able to secure vaccine hubs in their own school yards to ensure the year 12s would be disease free for their exams, while in the Indigenous town of Wilcannia in far west NSW, more than one-in-six predominantly Aboriginal residents were infected with the virus when the outbreak first occurred there. Aboriginal elders had warned authorities the previous year that overcrowding in the town would be disastrous if COVID-19 hit the community. Due to the lack of courageous leadership that would see priority given to the most vulnerable groups we have created a new class of people – the ‘unvaccinated’ class, as a result of our own ‘catastrophic moral failure’ in equitable distribution in our own society.
Then there were those who wanted to be vaccinated and could not access supply and those who had access but would not. ‘Vaccine hesitancy’ described people who at best were reluctant to be vaccinated and at worst who refused to be. As more employers began looking to implement the health orders of mandatory vaccinations before being able to return to work, tensions were rising amongst those in the society who were making a deliberate choice not to be vaccinated and those still hesitant. They claim that such health orders were a violation of their human rights. There were few that agreed with this argument and in fact the more fundamental right of everyone to be protected from the spread of COVID-19 was the stronger human rights argument particularly as the Delta variant continued to add enormous strain on our public hospitals and on the unrelenting workload of the paramedics.
It is often in a crisis that we are forced to confront issues and ask questions not apparent to us beforehand. Despite our deep desire to return to a pre-COVID life, we must be careful not create other injustices and inequalities. We need to ask questions such as does everyone enjoy equal access to vaccination? Is everyone equally educated about the benefits or otherwise? Are there language barriers preventing the taking of the vaccine? Does one need a Medicare card and what happens if you don’t have one? Have we considered all the barriers to vaccinations that some people face when they are already racially, socially, educationally or economically disadvantaged? Are our most vulnerable groups fearful of authority and fearful that contact tracing might adversely affect them? What will happen when ‘vaccine passports’ act to cut people off from society? And can we be sure of the integrity of our data and our privacy when we are required to digitally register our every movement?
Every layer of political decision making has the power to impact on a just and fair society. Where on the one hand, the discovery of the vaccine was a source of celebration on the other its accessibility and distribution highlighted the inherent inequalities of our society. Likewise with hard lockdowns which were put in place to keep people safe but left some people facing financial bankruptcy, mental health issues and isolation. The political motivation that has driven the belief that mandatory vaccinations are essential for the reintroduction of a free society can equally be seen as creating inequalities for those who cannot easily access vaccinations or those who face other barriers. The past year has taught us that the government policies need to be constantly rethought, balancing the wellbeing of its citizens, protection of public health and people’s rights.
Justice is not always clear cut. We live in an increasingly complex world where the threads of inequality run deep below the surface of systems. We need to see below the surface to enable us to detect patterns and their consequences for the system and we need to connect people’s minds and hearts to one another’s humanity. The pandemic has highlighted to need to keep shining the light on inequalities which create injustices and to be alert to the inherent structures that disable peace. We do this by asking the challenging questions, what more do we need to know and who are we overlooking, before making decisions that might inadvertently affect the vulnerable. Surely, no-one is safe unless we are all safe and no one can live harmoniously and peacefully unless we all enjoy the freedom that being vaccinated brings.
Finally a word of gratitude, appreciation and acknowledgement for the way our community work leaders, our principals and their leadership teams and staffs, and our Board Chairs have lead over these two years. They faced the pandemic with courage, compassion and conviction. Students too learned about synchronous and asynchronous learning and confronted stressors and challenges not faced before. This pandemic has been a unique experience for our leaders, students and communities requiring them to draw from their own fortitude and resilience. Leaders were required to be figures of hope and stability when their communities faced long periods of lockdown, heavy restrictions, uncertainties and tensions. What’s more they have worked and succeeded in keeping their communities safe and hopeful and that is cause for celebration and gratitude.
Erica Pegorer
Executive Director