Why Were on a Long Road to COVID-19 Immunity Even With Vaccines

Details: Published on Monday, 12 October 2020 02:14; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2213 ... October 12, 2020
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Why We’re on a Long Road to COVID-19 Immunity Even With Vaccines

Prabir Purkayastha

As the pandemic continues to spread throughout the world, many countries seem to have given up the fight against COVID-19 and are now waiting for a vaccine to protect against the virus. With cases exceeding 37 million, and more than a million dead, the world economy has taken a bigger hit than at any other time since the end of the Great Depression of 1929-39.

The US and India are now showing the highest numbers of total and new cases of COVID-19. Both have stopped talking about how to stop the pandemic, and are only focusing on reopening -- or as India calls it, "unlockdown."

Giving up on containing the COVID-19 pandemic is an admission that public health systems have failed. India, with a poor public health infrastructure, has one of the most privatized healthcare systems in the world. The US has the most privatized healthcare system among wealthy countries, with poor outcomes. It is not surprising then that... both these countries have failed in facing what is essentially a public health challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic shows the contradictions between the needs of capitalism and the health of the people. Capitalism requires ill-health for making profits: selling patented medicines, costly stays in hospitals, and expensive procedures. The objective of the public health system is to ensure that people stay healthy, robbing capitalists of the opportunity to make profits.