Letters | China’s Omicron surge: what’s stopping Beijing from reaching for mRNA vaccines?
- Readers discuss the inexplicably slow process in China’s development of mRNA vaccines amid its latest outbreak and the trade-offs between freedom and national security
This is obvious from first principles, randomised studies, observational studies and even simple comparisons with, say, Singapore.
There would certainly be difficulties, but none would be insurmountable. First, using mRNA vaccines might be a loss in propaganda terms, but propaganda is much less important than the concerns above.
Third, perhaps the leadership is irrationally worried about the side effects of vaccines. But given that there is still a fair level of scientific expertise even at the level of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, that prospect too is far-fetched.
Fourth, mandatory vaccination might be unpopular – perhaps the party is even worried about civil liberties. Even so, a simple prick of a needle is preferable to any prolonging of lockdowns in every respect.
That such an obvious strategy has not been implemented should worry neoconservative hawks and well-wishers of the party alike. For all its flaws, the party leadership has historically behaved fairly rationally with respect to its own objectives. If that assumption is now unjustified, the implications – for cross-strait relations, Ukraine or geopolitical conflict generally – are almost too horrifying to contemplate.
J.P. Loo, Oxford, UK
Freedom is the price of pandemic control
Watching the little amount of news feed allowed to leave the mainland in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, I was somewhat amused by TV images of some citizens being literally dragged back into their residences to contain viral transmission.
As the months passed and Covid-19 became a global pandemic, I couldn’t help but notice how China’s strict handling of its own outbreak, while allowing few rights and freedoms to its people, likely enabled a relatively short duration of its initial crisis.
Perhaps weaker national security can come with greater democratic freedoms, and vice versa. While I wouldn’t exchange my freedom for such national security, it is still foolish to pretend a national security sacrifice isn’t being made in exchange.
Frank Sterle Jnr, British Columbia, Canada