Vaccine rollout: No place for nationalism – Yorkshire Post Letters

I AM becoming increasingly irritated with the Government which continues to demonstrate a very narrow and nationalistic understanding of the nature of a pandemic.

For Boris Johnson’s information, a pandemic describes a new disease that has spread across multiple continents and, in the case of Covid-19, worldwide.

Bearing this in mind, it is important that the Government realise that the problem of the vaccine shortage is a global problem in that if we do not eradicate the virus from all continents across the world then the virus will return.

The Government should wake up to the fact that, while we appear to be rolling out the vaccination programme reasonably well, we should not be judgmental on others who are experiencing problems with supply. We do not know what will happen in the future – we may be in a similar position one day and require assistance ourselves.

I ask the Government therefore to grow up, mature and offer help where it is needed. It is only by being generous to others that we will eradicate the virus – we need to work together to help each other and above all, not to turn the need of one continent or country into political goal scoring ie more concerned about party politics than world wellbeing.

Finally, I would ask Mr Johnson and others to remember people in low income countries such as Malawi, such countries have an increasing incidence of Covid-19 but no vaccine – in a pandemic there is no place for nationalism, we need to work together.

From: Christopher Clapham, Shipley.

THE PM says he is deeply sorry as deaths from the virus reach 100,000 (The Yorkshire Post, January 27). Let’s look at the facts.

Two years ago this virus was unknown to the world and its scientists. There is no book on how to deal with this virus and those who do not want the vaccine or believe they do not need to wear a mask.

Our Prime Minister has worked tirelessly with his Ministers, always on TV or answering the media. Government advisers have also been fantastic, along with the scientists who gave us the first vaccination. Being negative, however, is a disgraceful way to carry on at the present time.

From: Basil Smith, Holmbridge, Holmfirth.

WELL done to Boris Johnson for exercising his right to visit Scotland for whatever reason whenever he likes (The Yorkshire Post, January 29).

As he says, Scottish devolution was very badly organised by John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. What a trio!

I am sure Boris will reform the Barnett Formula when the pandemic is more in control with more favourable terms to England.

From: Bob Watson, Baildon.

THE Editor talks about mistakes that have been made, and should be admitted, but now is not the time to be pushing for an inquiry (The Yorkshire Post, January 28).

It is so easy after the event to say that the Government has been too slow “on certain occasions”, but who else would have wanted to be in their impossible position?

There will indeed be the need for an inquiry once this is all over, but this should simply be to learn lessons for the future, and not to apportion blame for a situation effectively without precedence.

From: David Smith, Mirfield.

COLUMNIST Jayne Dowle really should occasionally try to put her anti-Tory bias to one side (The Yorkshire Post, January 28).

Can she highlight one actual comment made by the PM in the dispute with the EU over the AZ vaccine which would fit her description of him scrapping like dogs over a bone?

The only threatening comments regarding this have come from the EU in an attempt to cover up its own failings.

From: Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

WHY do the EU persist in trying to turn their inadequate ordering of coronavirus vaccine into a political row with the UK who had the foresight to order a supply of vaccines three whole months before the European Commission got their act into gear?

This is purely a commercial matter. After all, if you ordered furniture three months after someone else, you wouldn’t expect your delivery to be prioritised. So glad I voted leave in 2016.

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