Politico: USA is losing the world "vaccine race" to Russia

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America is inferior in the global "battle of vaccines" against COVID-19 and Russia and China, writes the American publication Politico. As Western countries implement their COVID-19 vaccination plans with America First and Europe First, other powers are seizing opportunities to seek commercial and political benefits.

Beijing can show charity, step up its vaccine diplomacy. Russia, on the other hand, makes sense to strike deals globally for a different reason: The Kremlin is struggling to convince Russians to use locally produced vaccines

– noted in the publication.



At the moment, Chinese and Russian vaccines are attractive to many governments simply because they are more readily available.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban bought samples of both Chinese and Russian production, which angered other EU leaders. In an interview with Focus magazine on February 22, he stated that it was his responsibility to get "as much as possible and as quickly as possible."

There is no such thing as an Eastern or Western vaccine: there are only good vaccines and bad ones.

- said Orban, adding that "under communism, we were vaccinated with Soviet vaccines as children, and, as you can see, we are all right."

Other countries, including neighboring Serbia, the article notes, are making political statements about access to Chinese and Russian vaccines. Rejected by the European Union, which ended membership negotiations with it, Serbia has gone from being a mere recipient of China's "mask diplomacy" in 2020 to Trump-style deals.

Today, the vaccination rate in Serbia is 15 percent higher than in the EU, mainly due to Chinese and Russian vaccines. The Serbian government said in a statement that it is trying to "act responsibly" and donated vaccines to Pfizer and Sputnik to neighboring states "until they can buy vaccines on the world market."

US President Joe Biden confirmed on February 18 that there are enough doses in the States to vaccinate everyone in the country by July. As the UK adheres to a similar deadline, all further receipts, as noted in the publication, will be available to less wealthy countries by the end of the summer.

In the end, the real race may unfold not between vaccine supplying countries for points of their own political "soft power", but between all vaccines at once and mutated variants of the coronavirus.
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  1. +2
    1 March 2021 08: 29
    America loses to Russia in the global vaccine battle against COVID-19

    So they will give way to the "race". The White House will immediately announce economic sanctions against countries that purchase and use Russian vaccines. "Nothing personal, just business."
  2. -4
    1 March 2021 08: 46
    Russia, on the other hand, makes sense to strike deals globally for a different reason: The Kremlin is struggling to convince Russians to use a locally produced vaccine.

    This is all that this article reflects the reality.
  3. +1
    1 March 2021 16: 56
    Vaccination problems in Russia? There are some minor complications. You need to take an antibody test and come with it to the vaccination center. I do not know where and what they write, but families of doctors and teachers vaccinate for free in the absence of contraindications. The dates of vaccination are named and vaccinations are carried out on these dates. Live in Russia.
    1. +1
      1 March 2021 18: 37
      Dmitry S. I also live in Russia and today I got my second shot. It's okay, everyone decides for himself.
    2. +1
      1 March 2021 20: 47
      There are some minor complications.

      The main difficulty is that there are frankly few who want to be vaccinated.

      I personally do not know anything about the test. Not only families of teacher-doctors are vaccinated for free, but in general all comers. You go to the Gos.services portal, section, subsection, you sign up.
      Or you call the polyclinic on the phone and make an appointment. Or you come to a mobile point without any record, there are two such points in our regional center, and you get vaccinated, but there, as I understand it, for money.
    3. -1
      2 March 2021 09: 00
      Little embarrassment? Vaccination began at the end of December and today in Russia 3-4% of those vaccinated ... 70 +% of the population are not going to be vaccinated. For so long they have been convincing the whole world that Sputnik is the best, that many are already ready to accept it, but the Russians cannot be fooled! They understand... tongue
      The Russian media write about how they will save the world ... Serbia has already vaccinated 20% (albeit mostly with Chinese and Pfizer), Mexico and Brazil, which are still going to be saved, have exceeded 10% and there is still no Russian vaccine there.
      The Americans have already made 80+ million injections, produce two orders of magnitude more vaccine and ... are losing the race to Russia.
      The Russian drone Altius supplants the American RQs, the medium-haul MS has triumphed over the Boeing, Sputnik has become the second oil and saves the world.
      Gentlemen, are you not from the looking glass?
      1. 0
        2 March 2021 09: 10
        As you know, gentlemen, everyone is in Paris. And here are the comrades.
        1. -1
          2 March 2021 09: 32
          You can't argue with the classics!
      2. 123
        +1
        2 March 2021 12: 21
        Little embarrassment? Vaccination began at the end of December and today in Russia 3-4% of those vaccinated ... 70 +% of the population are not going to be vaccinated. For so long they have been convincing the whole world that Sputnik is the best, that many are already ready to accept it, but the Russians cannot be fooled! They understand...

        Come on laughing Does it not occur to you that people are not rushing headlong into vaccinations for other reasons? For example, those who are at higher risk of getting sick, doctors, teachers, police, catering and so on, should be vaccinated first. They need vaccination more.
        Specifically, I did not inquire about the availability of the vaccine and which vaccine is being vaccinated. I decided to see how it works. I went to the State Services, signed up, and on that week I will write off the results.

        The Russian media write about how they will save the world ... Serbia has already vaccinated 20% (albeit mostly with Chinese and Pfizer), Mexico and Brazil, which are still going to be saved, have exceeded 10% and there is still no Russian vaccine there.

        At the very least, Brazil is going to produce the vaccine at home. For the rest I will not say because I did not delve into the topic.

        The Americans have already made 80+ million injections, produce two orders of magnitude more vaccine and ... are losing the race to Russia.
        The Russian drone Altius supplants the American RQs, the medium-haul MS has triumphed over the Boeing, Sputnik has become the second oil and saves the world.
        Gentlemen, are you not from the looking glass?

        Are you asking us or Politico?
      3. +1
        2 March 2021 14: 41
        The satellite is the most, that many are already ready to accept it, but the Russians cannot be fooled! They understand...

        By the way, it's funny ...
        If in this phrase of yours, instead of "satellite" and "Russians", you insert "bayontech" and "Germans", then the semantic content is unlikely to change much.)

        The Germans, along the way, are also in no hurry, to experience the unpredictable action, mRNA "miracle cures", giving the olive branch of leadership, to those "who do not feel sorry for" - "pioneers from the promised land" (Israel) and "island monkeys "(Great Britain).

        Well, suddenly for some reason I thought.)
        1. -1
          2 March 2021 15: 33
          In Germany, from every iron they talk about another victory for BP? Germans have already taken root in 2-4 times more Russians and the gap will only grow in the coming months. 35% of Germans, in contrast to 70-75% of Russians, do not intend to be vaccinated - the difference is significant. It's a bit too much for a European country, well, no one canceled the bad influence from the east tongue
          A month ago, I was convinced that Merkel in tears asked Putin to help, and today they are convinced that the dog rummaged in a completely different place.
          1. +2
            2 March 2021 16: 46
            In Germany, from every iron they talk about another victory for BP?

            Yes, exactly so, but only from a slightly different angle. BP started advertising on a large scale long before it was even ready.
            For that now, all sorts of fiasco with this "miracle pill" climb from all cracks. But plugging these cracks is getting harder and harder.

            Germans have already taken root in 2-4 times more Russians and the gap will only grow in the coming months. 35% of Germans, in contrast to 70-75% of Russians, do not intend to be vaccinated - the difference is significant.

            How many of whom have taken root, in fact, is difficult to say.
            The Germans show every day some kind of, no one really controlled, "supposedly dynamics." The Russians, for some reason, on the contrary, tend to "hush up".
            That is not the point.

            The bottom line is that the Germans, whether they want it or not, will simply be forced to do these vaccinations, by selectively stigmatizing the "unwilling" in the direction of "second-rate".
            They are already purring about the creation of a mandatory electronic passport, in which Europeans will be registered for "loyalty".
            Depocracy! Not figlee.)

            A month ago, I was convinced that Merkel in tears asked Putin to help, and today they are convinced that the dog rummaged in a completely different place.

            Yes, I did. And Russia may soon help the Germans with its vaccine.

            But what does Merkel's wish have to do with
            to the desire of the people to be grafted ???

            So look for a buried dog elsewhere.
  4. 0
    1 March 2021 17: 04
    Kremlin struggles to convince Russians to use locally produced vaccine

    The stupidest phrase of the entire opus. You would think that in Russia someone would allow the use of a vaccine that is NOT locally produced. If there are three of their own (for now), then no one here and close will not let the Modern and any Zeneca.
    1. 123
      +1
      2 March 2021 12: 39
      The stupidest phrase of the entire opus. You would think that in Russia someone would allow the use of a vaccine that is NOT locally produced. If there are three of their own (for now), then no one here and close will not let the Modern and any Zeneca.

      But you must? As for AstraZeneca ...

      two versions of the drug are approved. One of them is produced jointly with SKBio in South Korea, the second - at the Serum Institute of India.

      https://www.rbc.ru/society/15/02/2021/602aa5129a7947d930d17ba5

      Do you agree to any? Or what option are you interested in? The one that is Indian (for non-rabbits) with an efficiency of 63%? If I am not mistaken, the 2nd stage of testing is underway. The list of lucky owners includes Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles. Ukraine is next in line, though for the money.
      Or do you prefer Korean production?
      I'm afraid there are some problems with the second, supplies to Europe are disrupted, manufacturers are threatened with ships. Do you think your American and European friends will drop everything and start sending them to Russia?