Sociological Implications of the production, distribution and the consumption of the vaccines for COVID-19

Introduction

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is indeed a destructive disease. It has cause death to thousands and thousands of people and negatively affects our growth and living. Our lifestyle has changed so much. We have this thing called new normal today, in which we have to wear face mask and face shield, sanitize our hands always specially when going to public places. This is all because of covid-19 that began in Wuhan, China, on December 2019. And this became a Pandemic Outbreak since the virus has transmitted all over the world.

Task

The COVID-19 pandemic ravaged humanity and brought the world economy to a standstill as had been warned by WHO that the pandemic was going to touch every sector (Aday & Aday, 2020). Zimbabwe as part of the global community was not spared, with the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ), declaring the pandemic a national disaster, and a formidable epidemic disease on the 17th of March and 20 May 2020, respectively (Government of Zimbabwe, 2020). As of 17 January 2021, Zimbabwe had recorded cumulative totals in excess of 27,203 confirmed cases and at least 713 deaths, with typical daily new cases of up to 774 and with at least 3 deaths per day (WHO, 2021WHO. (2021). WHO Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard-Situation by Country, Territory & Area.

COVID 19 Impacts on agricultural production and incomes, it limits on the mobility of people across borders and lockdowns are contributing to labour shortages for agricultural sectors in many countries, particularly those characterised by periods of peak seasonal labour demand or labour-intensive production. For example, newly implemented travel bans within the European Union, as well as the closure of the Schengen Area, have significantly reduced the available workforce for the fruit and vegetable sector in a number of European countries.3 4 Harvesting season is imminent for many products in the northern hemisphere, and a shortage of labour could lead to production losses and shortages in the market. In many countries, this comes on top of existing difficulties in sourcing seasonal labour.

On the other hand, disruptions downstream from the farm gate are in some cases causing surpluses to accumulate, putting a strain on storage facilities and, for highly perishables, increasing food losses. For some products, supply side disruptions are being compounded by demand side reductions (in particular foods typically eaten away from home, and luxury items – see below). In combination, these effects are putting a strain on farm incomes. Moreover, those farm household income losses may be compounded by reduced off-farm income.

Process

According to Red Mendoza, Companies across the globe are in a race to produce a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19. While there are reasons to be optimistic, it is a known fact that vaccine production entails a long period of development and testing, so how is one created? The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Center for Health Research and Development (DoST-PCHRD), in a webinar last August, explained that vaccine manufacturing undergoes the process of conceptualization, research, trials, and finalization.

As of now the Philippines is producing a vaccine for this pandemic and the Covid-19 today. It is now being distributed to different parts of the Philippines. There is a limit in producing the vaccines, because the vaccine for now is still limited. There has been a survey conducted by the Health workers to people wether they want to get vaccinated or not.

On March 4, 2021, Manila - Today, more than 480,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in the Philippines from the COVAX Facility, the international partnership established to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world. The Philippines is among the first countries in Southeast Asia to receive vaccines from the COVAX Facility. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organisations, manufacturers, and others.

"The long days and nights of waiting are finally over. These vaccines will be of great help to our valiant healthcare workers who have been at the forefront of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. With every dose that we will administer, we are inching towards a safer recovery from this pandemic. So, let us put our trust in science, in vaccines. Together, we will rise as a nation and heal as one,” says Department of Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

Officials from the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Philippines received the vaccine doses at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The Philippine Government will lead the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Vaccine procurement describes the process of acquiring vaccines domestically or internationally, using specific procurement procedures. UNICEF will work with manufacturers and partners on the procurement of vaccine doses as well as freight, logistics and storage of COVID19 vaccines, on behalf of global COVAX Facility. Different procurement mechanisms can affect the price and timely access to vaccines. Finally, the vaccine must be approved by national regulators in other countries to be distributed abroad and here in our country.

As President Rodrigo Duterte said “We will give preference to Russia and China provide that their vaccines is as good as any other in the market”. And for that reason our country chooses vaccines from China and Russia rather than other countries because it is our neighboring country. President Duterte has also expressed optimism that the Southeast Asian country, which has recorded the region highest number of cases Covid-19 at nearly 266,000 would be back to normal. Pinning his hopes on the availability of the vaccines.

In my opinion, Filipinos will not easily agree to this Covid-19 vaccination. It is because of the past Dengvaxia incident that happened before. Also mainly because of the doubts, and what will be the side effects of this call vaccine of covid-19. People are scared and threatened that this covid vaccines will also kill many people, as it was not successfully made. The assurance is not that high because this vaccine is still experimental.

I think there is an issue of inequality of this covid19 vaccines distribution before. The government prioritize workers in essential industries such as front liners. The people working in the hospitals, public transits, offices, government employees, and other staff on each barangays that are prone to the public. Similarly, people who live in certain crowded settings, homeless shelters and prisoners.

Aside from this vaccine issues, there has been so many issues that has brought because of this pandemic. Many have seen a number of ethical, legal, and social issues arise as a result of the virus rapidly spreading worldwide. Because of lockdowns, many lives has been destructed. The daily life of people is very hard and surviving is another challenge to pass.

Evaluation

Covid-19 has brought economic shocks that started in the ear 2020. It has been a year that this pandemic occurs to the world and up until now, it continues threatening our lives. And by these reasons, the world will change forever. Lots of changes and lifestyle. But aside from that the pandemic will strengthen the state and reinforce nationalism. Governments of all types will adopt emergency measures to manage the crisis and become more prepared for the worst to come. COVID-19 vaccination has substantially altered the course of the pandemic, saving tens of millions of lives globally. However, inadequate access to vaccines in low-income countries has limited the impact in these settings, reinforcing the need for global vaccine equity and coverage.

Understanding the global impact of vaccination on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging given the heterogeneous access to vaccines coupled with different levels of transmission and ongoing non-pharmaceutical interventions across countries. In the early months of 2021, the impact of vaccination would have been minimal because of the delay in developing the infrastructure for a widespread vaccination campaign, the need for a delayed two-dose regimen in some jurisdictions to ensure maximum protection, and the delay in the development of antibodies following vaccination. Additionally, as vaccine supply was constrained, most countries opted to prioritize vaccination in high-risk populations, including health-care workers and older people.

Conclusion

Since the beginning of the COVID crisis, governments have had to make quick decisions and implement many unplanned measures to protect communities at risk. In the first months, the widespread use of direct awards as an exceptional measure to procure goods, services and works has drawn attention to potential integrity risks, most notably fraud and corruption that could seriously weaken the effectiveness of government action if not correctly mitigated.

To sum it up, acceptance of a Covid-19 vaccine was highly influenced by the baseline effectiveness of the vaccine. Preparing the general population to accept a vaccine with relatively low effectiveness may be difficult. Further disease outbreaks will also overwhelm health systems already battling the impacts of Covid-19. But despite all this challenges brought by this pandemic, we Filipinos and people all over the world has found ways to overcome this problem. And hopefully, everything will be back to normal one day.

Credits
Teacher Page

Mr. Hermenio Jr. Cabusog