NOT HEADS of state or even popular celebrities have received the kind of reception that vaccine shipments are getting in Africa as it struggles against a resurgence of the covid-19 pandemic. As the first tranche of the vaccines against the SARS-COV-2 virus arrives in select nations, heads of government and senior cabinet ministers have turned up to receive the precious vials, acknowledging their critical importance to a region that has suffered from covid-19 nationalism—the tendency of developed countries to retain and corner supplies of therapies, equipment and vaccines for their own citizens while depriving needy populations elsewhere.
On February 1, 2021, as an Emirates flight landed at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport carrying AstraZeneca’s vaccine, the South Africa Broadcasting Corp was on hand to film the momentous event from the time the plane touched down in pouring rain at 3 pm. It was the first lot of vaccines to arrive in the continent and President Cyril Ramaphosa and top officials were present to receive the one million doses that the South African government had bought from the Serum Institute of India (SII), the major licensed manufacturer of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This story is from the April 16, 2021 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 16, 2021 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE