Other

BBC World Service East Asia

The Documentary

Documentaries

Factual

Investigating global developments, issues and affairs.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Documentary: Vaccines, Money And Politics: Vaccines, money and politics

hi062579024 Vaccine WEB.jpg

18/08/2020 GMT

Vaccines, money and politics

Vaccines, Money And Politics

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Vaccines, Money And Politics, Vaccines, money and politics

What will it really take to vaccinate the world against Covid 19?

Building a global vaccination programme to protect us from Covid19 is more complicated than most of us realise.

Scientists around the world are working at pandemic speed to discover a safe and effective vaccine against the virus SarsCoV2, and the disease it causes Covid 19. But while all this research is taking place, a host of other critical elements need to be organised if we are to have any chance of successfully building an immunisation programme to reach more than seven billion people with a vaccine that will, at least initially, be in limited supply.    
In part two of Vaccines, Money and Politics, Sandra Kanthal looks at what strategies are being put in place to transport a vaccine to countries around the world,  who will be the first in those countries to get the vaccine, and, once it is available, how to convince people to take it.

Presenter/producer: Sandra Kanthal

(Photo: Coronavirus model and medical syringe are seen with "Covid-19" sign. Credit: Getty Images)

The Documentary: Vaccines, Money And Politics

Nearly every person on the planet is vulnerable to the new coronavirus, SarsCoV2.  That’s why there are more than 100 projects around the world racing towards the goal of creating a safe and effective vaccine for the disease it causes, Covid19, in the next 12 to 18 months. But this is just the first part of a long and complex process, working at a pace and scale never attempted before. 
 
In Vaccines, Money and Politics, Sandra Kanthal looks at the vast ecosystem needed to deliver a vaccination programme to the world in record time.  This will require billions of dollars, and likely more than one successful candidate to meet the global demand. The world will need to secure supply chains in order to avoid shortages of vital supplies like medical glass. Companies will have to manufacture the most promising candidates even before they know if the vaccines will work, otherwise the process will be further delayed. Authorities across the world will have to work together to overcome the temptation for countries to keep the vaccines for themselves and allocate a fair global distribution, and then decide which sectors of the population get them first. And they’ll need a communication strategy to convince the public the vaccines are safe and effective – and to combat the antivaxx messages already gaining traction on social media. What plans are in place to make this all happen - and will they work?
Presented by Sandra Kanthal.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Documentary

Vaccines, Money And Politics

Vaccines, money and politics

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC World Service East Asia

About BBC World Service