OPINION - The surging number of nations clamouring for Covid-19 vaccines, which is tilted in favour of affluent countries, presents a deep sense of violation of the long-standing tradition of international solidarity initially shown to tackle the rapid spread of the disease.
Although this seems to be motivated by the desire to save their citizens’ lives, the preoccupation of these wealthy nations to be the first in line to snatch up a significant amount of vaccines appears to stem from individualistic tendencies that have in turn given rise to vaccine nationalism. This takes place in the wake of unprecedented spread of the second wave of the virus which has wreaked havoc with the world economy.
Any semblance of international co-operation to tackle the spread of the virus has since given way to a race to secure as many vaccines as possible on the strength of economic muscle while the rest of the weak economies face a bleak future. This spells a humanitarian crisis as the virus persists to tighten its grip throughout the world.
As wealthy nations continue to buy up millions of dose, there should be an increasing concern about many poor countries that have not be able to negotiate bilateral deals with vaccine manufacturers. These countries face a grim reality that some of their citizens will not be able to receive the vaccines, effectively condemning some to death.
It is in this context that the World Health Organization should push forward with the COVAX international vaccine initiative as a global purchasing mechanism to ensure that the poor countries do not miss out on the vaccines.
To emphasise this point, UN health agency’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said for the world to recover faster, it had to recover together because it is globilised: the economies are intertwined. He said part of the world or a few countries cannot be a safe haven.
Equally accurately, the same logic needs to be ingrained in the psyche of the have and the have nots with regards to accessing water resources. South Africa’s water resources continue to be under serious strain and access to them is an emotive issue that pits communities against each other.
A case in point was when officials of the City of Cape Town had to warn well-off residents against stockpiling water in the face of drought. So serious was panic buying of water that the poor in the city faced the prospect of an uncertain future as the buying power allowed them to go to an extent of hoarding water.
This resulted from the belief that stockpiling of water would protect them from the unfolding water crisis. It ignored the fact that the very act of stockpiling of water was speedily bringing them ever so closer to the dreaded Day Zero.
It is against this backdrop that the Department of Water and Sanitation firmly believes that equity in accessing water is one of the cornerstones of development. It recognises the fact that for the longest of time, some sections of our population, mostly the poor and those from far-flung places, had no access to water and continue to experience lack of water.
As nations or individual members of communities, we can achieve much in times of crisis by not showing indifference to the plight of the poor. Securing the majority of vaccines and panic buying water in the face of a crisis can only prove counterproductive. It is only through ensuring that every member of a nation or a community enjoys a degree of access to life-giving necessities that we can emerge stronger at the end of any crisis.
HOSIA SITHOLE - Communicator at the Department of Water and Sanitation
The Mercury