The politics of pandemic

By Artchil B. Fernandez

 

One thing Covid-19 did is expose the weakness and failings of populist and authoritarian leaders. The pandemic has shown the inefficiency and incompetence of populist autocrats who are ascendant in the past years. With 858,381 dead and 25,816,820 infected (as of this writing) globally according to Johns Hopkins University, Covid-19 continues to ravage the world and populist leaders are found wanting as they clumsily struggle to deal with the pandemic.

The contrast between the worst hit countries and the countries that handle the pandemic well clearly illustrates the ineptness of populist autocrats and the competence of democratic leaders. The United States (US) and Brazil, the top two countries worst hit by Covid-19 are led by macho demagogues as well as Russia while Taiwan, New Zealand and Germany that had exemplary management of the health crisis are under the guidance of women leaders.

To cover-up their incompetence, strong men are playing politics with the pandemic, dangerously using it to advance their nefarious agenda. The politics of pandemic peddled by populist autocrats made managing Covid-19 difficult not only in their countries but globally.  It also led to thousands of people dead.

The intertwining of politics and pandemic is plainly apparent in the US. Trump playing politics with Covid-19 made the country the epicenter of the pandemic. The US tops the list of countries with the highest number of infections at 6,086,747 and the most number of deaths – 184,974 – latest figures from Johns Hopkins University reveal.

While wearing a mask is a universally prescribed health protocol, it is a hotly contested issue in Trump’s America. In the early months of the pandemic, Trump not only refused to wear a mask but staunchly opposed it. He toned down his anti-mask rhetoric when the US became the world’s number one in terms of infection and deaths. Although Trump now no longer openly opposes the wearing of masks due to pressure from health experts, he also does not encourage people, especially his supporters from wearing one.

The global community is aghast that observing a simple but vital health protocol like wearing a mask during a pandemic becomes a political statement in Trump’s America. One major reason why the US has the highest cases of Covid-19 is due to the politicization of the wearing of masks by Trump. The federal government refused to nationally mandate the wearing of mask leaving the decision to state and local officials.  The result is a messy and confusing policy on the wearing of masks.

Rabid Trump supporters rejected wearing masks, symbolizing their defiance to authorities with the tacit approval of Trump. In the recent Republican Convention which Trump hosted in the White House lawn (defying tradition not using it for partisan politics), Trump and his supporters did not wear masks and were not observing physical distancing as well. No wonder millions of Americans are infected with Covid-19.

But the most dangerous game Trump is playing in the politics of pandemic is in the treatment of Covid-19 and the development of a vaccine. Medical experts in the US and around the world last month were stunned last month when the FDA gave emergency authorization for the use of convalescent plasma in treating Covid-19 despite insufficient data. In the absence of a randomized trial for the treatment and the available data not yet conclusive Trump announced it as a historic breakthrough even though such treatment has been around for decades. Trump harangued the FDA to make the emergency authorization to cover-up his incompetence.

With the data on convalescent plasma treatment weak and inconclusive especially on its possible side-effects, the intrusion of politics in a scientific process could have disastrous consequences. Health experts fear that the emergency authorization makes it difficult if not impossible to conduct a randomized trial for the treatment. Due to pressure from the scientific community, the FDA recently backpedaled in the decision.

This week the FDA again sent shockwaves to the scientific community when it announced it might authorize the emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine in the absence of a Phase 3 clinical trial. Trump is mimicking his fellow autocrat Putin of Russia.

Two months ago Russia declared it won the race for a vaccine when it authorized the use of Sputnik-V against Covid-19 which has not undergone a Phase 3 clinical trial. Instead of applause, the global scientific community met the Russian announcement with skepticism and deep suspicion.  Russia has not shared the data on Sputnik-V for review. Shortcutting the process of making a vaccine is treacherous if not deadly.

Not observing proper scientific procedures could have catastrophic results not only on the health of the people but on public trust on vaccines. To ensure that a vaccine is safe and effective, it must undergo rigid and rigorous three-phase clinical trials. Populist autocrats like Putin and Trump are thrashing science to camouflage their incompetence.

Developing a vaccine against Covid-19 is not a contest. A correct scientific process must be observed. Sacrificing science and making it subservient to the political agenda of populists like Trump and Putin will result in more deaths. Putin and Trump are undermining trust in vaccines just to bolster their political image.

It is bad enough that Covid-19 is wrecking the world. Worsening the situation is the ugly and deadly politics of pandemic played by populist despots that torpedo the scientific handling of Covid-19. In the case of Du30, he has thrown the towel a long time ago, waiting for his fellow populist demagogues to bail him out. Du30 will be doing this nation a great favor if he and his top officials are the first to get injected with Sputnik-V, compliments of his best chum Putin.