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The covid vaccine publicized this week by Russian President Vladimir Putin is just the latest manifestation of a worrying phenomenon that goes far beyond the Russian differential: vaccine nationalism. It is a well-known fact from previous pandemics - there have been, although not so serious - that, in the face of a global health emergency situation, rich countries opt for selfish policies to get hold of their doses of medicines, just at the moment when they are most they should collaborate against a threat that sovereignly ignores their customs and myopic interests. Borders and nationalisms are a serious obstacle to articulating intelligent international policies against a planetary risk, whether we talk about climate change or pandemic containment. Countries have never risen to these challenges, and they still are not.
Putin's vaccine is one of the 200 that are under development in the world, with a peculiarity: Russian scientists have not registered it with the World Health Organization (WHO), nor have they published their advances in any scientific journal or nor are they in a position to guarantee that the drug is safe for the population. The techniques they have used are based on years or decades of science made by others that, as is often the case with true conceptual advances, has not been patented. Nationalist opacity is a concept no longer alien, but even contrary to science, which is an international endeavor and does not tolerate political interference, although it sometimes takes four centuries to receive the Vatican's pardon.
But Putin is not alone in his nationalist crusade. Just two weeks ago, the White House announced its millionaire agreements with pharmaceutical companies to receive preferential treatment if any of them get the vaccine. France, the United Kingdom, the European Union as a whole, India and China are on similar movements. But a pandemic is a global phenomenon.
