After the health supervision departments of Europe and the United States forcibly passed the certification of the coronavirus vaccine, the vigorous vaccine “war” began, but this “war” is not to grab the vaccine, but the people refuse to vaccinate.
Looking at the current European and American vaccine war, people can’t help but think of the European and American mask war in the middle of the epidemic. In this regard, I also posted an article on Guancha.com at that time, “Shopping masks turned into a “world war”.
Obviously, Europe and the United States are really not good at fighting against the epidemic, and they have provoked the first place in the “war”.
When European and American researchers are developing a coronavirus vaccine at a record speed, it may be difficult to think that speeding up vaccination is the real problem of the century.
In this regard, Shu Yang, editor-in-chief of the European Times, has a striking metaphor: a Michelin Samsung food, invented, cooked and put the plate is good, but “eating” has become a problem. Is it ridiculous enough?
Is it just that the people of Europe and the United States are unwilling to be vaccinated? In fact, a careful analysis shows that the systems of Europe and the United States are not only difficult to introduce effective measures to fight against the epidemic, but also connect to a vaccine, and it is difficult to go to the sky.
Since the vaccination work began in November last year, more than 4.2 million people have been vaccinated so far below the government’s target of 20 million people by the end of last year. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was optimistic that vaccination efforts could be accelerated, believing that the number of vaccinations per day could be expanded to 1 million. He called on the federal government to cooperate with the state governments in real partnership. Fauci’s intention is obvious: the state government does not cooperate particularly with the federal government.
Even President Macron personally criticized the speed of vaccination as “lodling around”. Even President Macron personally criticized the speed of vaccination because of the slow and cautious vaccination policy.
After Macron was exposed to be angry on the 3rd, France suddenly and magically vaccinated 2,000 people on the 4th. In the global list of coronavirus vaccinations, it quickly soared from the last place in the number of vaccinated countries to six places. Unfortunately, however, France unfortunately is still at the bottom of the population ratio.Ranking of COVID-19 vaccinations by country as of January 4, Photo credit: BFM TVRanking of percentages of people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus by country as of January 4, Image source: BFM TV
The situation in other European countries is not much better. Britain has played nearly 1 million, Germany has 240,000, and Italy has about 100,000. This achievement has been blown up by the health officials of these countries, and France has been cast a contemptuous and gloating eye.
But you can’t imagine that there is a more exotic country than France: the Netherlands has not yet started a fight.
Dutch Prime Minister Lütte explained in Parliament that the Netherlands did not expect the first to receive a Pfizer vaccine, so it did not prepare the ultra-cryogenic freezer for storing the vaccine in advance.
The Netherlands originally planned to vaccinate the elderly in nursing homes, but because the Pfizer vaccine received was 1,000 doses a box, the nursing homes did not have a suitable place to store, causing the vaccination plan to run aground. That is to say, these precious vaccines may only be put into the garbage can.
The vaccine may be thrown into the garbage can, of course, not only the Netherlands, but also France.
France is the only country in the world to mandate medical consultation before vaccination against the novel coronavirus, and requires consultations to be conducted at least five days before vaccination to determine the required dose. The purpose of the consultation is mainly to determine whether the vaccinator has a vaccine contraindication and the possible risks to the vaccinator.
Once consenting to vaccination, the French government also gives the person who wants to get a five-day thinking period (the thinking period can also be extended), until the last minute before the injection can withdraw the consent by any means (verbal or in writing).
At present, the storage requirements of Pfizer vaccines opened in France are very high, and it needs to be frozen at -70 °C. It can only be kept for 5 days in the environment of 2-8 °C in ordinary refrigerators. The five-day thinking period undoubtedly increases the burden of storing vaccines.
According to the chaotic route of vaccine storage and vaccination such as France, an adviser to the French Prime Minister predicts that France will lose 25% to 30% of the vaccine. That is to say, 30% of the vaccine will be thrown into the garbage can.
Why is it so difficult to get vaccinated in Europe and the United States? As mentioned earlier, the public is concerned and unwilling to vaccinate is one aspect, but more importantly, inefficiencies caused by institutional reasons.
We all know that state governments in the United States do not listen to the federal government, and there is no need to elaborate. What is the problem of European countries?
Let’s take France as an example.
The French government never thought that the first week of vaccination was bombarded by various criticism. After all, in order to ensure that the vaccination is foolproof and that everyone is vaccinated voluntarily, the French government has issued a strict set of 45-page vaccination norms in advance.
This set of norms is very detailed in each step of the operation from preparation before vaccination to how to deal with allergies after vaccination. Even details about whether the public’s medical consultation before vaccination can be accompanied by a third party and who can accompany it are listed in detail.
Moreover, in order to avoid discrimination against those who refuse to receive vaccination, the norms specifically state that the person concerned must express the decision of the public whether to vaccinate or not in a neutral manner.
To be honest, this “vaccine guide” is one of the reasons for the slow vaccination speed in France. When is it? After a vaccination, you are still looking forward. But this is the “people-oriented” of democratic countries, and they are proud of.
Too long vaccination norms can’t be turned over.
On January 4, the French government also had a big move, which was to draw 35 people (30 full members and 5 substitutes) to form the Vaccine Citizens Committee to help better persuade the French to vacculate.
Of course, how to draw lots, the French government has formulated a set of detailed norms and a thick document. The French like reading, which is like putting a dictionary on their left hand and then putting a how to look up a dictionary on the right hand side. As a result, the French were angry. I won’t read this book!
However, Jean-François Delfraissy, chairman of the Scientific Committee, believes that such measures are necessary, emphasizing: “People need to understand why the government makes certain decisions, and citizens’ committees can help restore the relationship between citizens and policymakers. Trust. And most people feel that this is bullshit.
The French government never thought that they had put so much effort into caring for the “emotions” of the people, but turned over on some key issues.
In addition to these “red tapes”, France’s so-called centralization also makes the government particularly inefficient. All local epidemics and data should be reported to the central government, and then the central government formulates measures according to the situation and then distribute them. This is like French railways, not “vertical and four horizontal” like China’s high-speed railway network, but all lines must first go to Paris and then disperse from Paris to various places. Such a design undoubtedly reduces efficiency.
At present, 560,000 doses of vaccines have arrived in France, but the freezer has not yet arrived. Although the French government has asked for acceleration and began to organize hospitals to vaccinate medical workers over 50 years old, not all hospitals are equipped with super freezers to meet the storage requirements of -70 °C. Therefore, many hospitals are still waiting for the arrival of super refrigerators before preparing for vaccination. Only one factory in France has the ability to produce such freezers.
That is to say, hospitals and nursing homes around the world reported the required vaccine and freezer data, and the health department did not receive it in time and could not prepare. As a result, a considerable number of vaccines will be wasted. But at the same time, how many lives will be delayed?
From the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the French government has exposed many shortcomings in its ability to respond to the crisis. Whether it was the initial shortage of masks or the failure to keep up with the virus detection capacity, resulting in no results in 10 days, and now the vaccine chaos, it is directly pointing to the weakness of the French bureaucracy.
As an infectious disease expert said recently, “Desperate”: “If France wants to win this vaccine war, French politics must change.”
In fact, if Macron is replaced by the leaders of the opposition who shout every day, they are still incomparable and may even worse. Therefore, we should not believe that France will become better after a “big change in politics”.
The problem in France is the establishment of regulations and the concept of administrative governance.
Whether it is the Napoleonic Code or the 1905 Law on the Separation of Church and state, many outdated regulations are still in use today. Not only is it used, but it is also constantly adding bricks and tiles, branches and leaves. The French administration has embarked on a road of no return to a stacked bed frame house that only increases but does not decrease. Today’s Labor Law is more than 3,000 pages. Its desire is all-inclusive, and it will inevitably be difficult to implement and contradictory. And 5.6 million civil servants are “escort” this administrative giant.
In the 1970s, when the economy grew and the welfare system was well-functioning, this obesity was partially offset by “growth muscle” and the crisis was masked. But it goes without saying that in the face of a wartime state or a major crisis such as the novel coronavirus, even if it snows heavily and a hot summer, it will make its governance ability lose its true shape.
In fact, looking at European countries, isn’t it the same problem?
However, no country is thinking about change. The people elected waves of politicians with their votes to come to power and put them down with votes, but no country has ever dared to reform boldly; conversely, even if it is tinkered, the people will make trouble in the streets.
This is the current situation in Europe and the United States, which is what Shuyang said is “a rusty machine made of high-quality metal”. Although European and American elites are everywhere, once they enter this bloated machine, they can’t play it immediately.
