Medical Internationalism: The Cuban Response to the Pandemic
Rather than reaching out to massive pharmaceutical companies, the Cuban biotechnology sector set to work on developing its own vaccine.
Tag: COVID-19
Theranos: Patient Zero in a National Scandal
What is Theranos? And who is Elizabeth Holmes?
Before 2015, those who were familiar with Elizabeth Holmes, or her company Theranos, likely looked upon her with admiration. A Stanford University drop-out and the female CEO of an innovative Silicon Valley … Continue reading
COVID-19 Sheds Light on Economic Barriers in Canadian Healthcare
As the pandemic wages on, it has become clear that while we may all be in this together, we are not all in this equally. Emerging statistics on COVID-19 transmission, infection, and death rates have shown that individuals from low-income communities are at a higher risk of both catching the disease and developing fatal complications.
The Vaccine Dilemma
While there is no doubt that getting vaccinated was the right thing to do, living in a world where vaccine diplomacy and vaccine passports are just around the corner, one cannot help but feel a new sort of discrimination when it comes to the selection of approved vaccines to alleviate restrictions. Moreover, the fact that the approved vaccines only contain western made vaccines despite there being others, like Sinopharm, that received WHO approval is greatly concerning.
India vs. China: Two Nations’ Struggle For Better Vaccine Diplomacy
The Sino-Indian border dispute being at a standstill, the two rising nations are now competing not through violence, but by asserting their power through international influence, such as through vaccine diplomacy. While there are humanitarian and altruistic purposes involved, the political ambition behind the campaign of exporting COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries is worth discussing.
China’s Five-Year Plan Provides the First Insights To What the Future Holds After the COVID-19 Pandemic
The preview of the 14th 5-year plan has provided a first look into how the economic recovery from the pandemic will be projected, and how current changes in the socio-economic balance of the nation will continue to hold significance in the future.
Bolsonaro’s Uncertain Future: COVID-19 and Brazil’s 2022 Election
Donald Trump’s embarrassing fall from power in November 2020 carries a bleak omen for other crass right-wing leaders like Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s campaign tactics from 2018 will not work again, with his anti-establishment rhetoric not carrying the same appeal since his policies have resulted in countless deaths.
Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Health Crisis
Brazil has two of the largest vaccine production factories in Latin America, and is known worldwide for its strong immunization programs. They have, however, been struggling to coordinate a federal immunization campaign.
Vaccinegate: Vaccination Outrage in Argentina and Peru
Over the last few weeks, two vaccination scandals have broken out in Peru and Argentina. Multiple high-ranking officers and wealthy private citizens were granted access to vaccines months before the immunization campaign in both countries began. In Peru’s case, … Continue reading
Reorienting Discussions of Political and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Binary terms, such as Afro-optimism and Afro-pessimism, have been inverted and simplistic terminology has been discarded altogether - and rightly so. African nations deserve the complexity of language and diligence of examination which other nations have received for so long.