Editorial | China and the US should put differences aside to defeat coronavirus
- The two nations most able to come up with a cure and vaccine are feuding to the point that their researchers and scientists are unable to pool resources
The US has been criticised for responding too slowly and by not promptly implementing widespread testing, while the country’s high medical costs and lack of paid sick leave for many workers add to the challenges. WHO secretary general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made plain the gravity of the crisis, with the number of cases outside China increasing 13-fold in just two weeks.
On the heels of calls for governments to more closely cooperate, he expressed concern about the world’s “alarming levels of inaction”. Some countries are less prepared than others, but of one matter there should be particular worry: the two most able to come up with a cure and a vaccine, China and the US, are feuding to the point that their researchers and scientists are unable to pool resources.
China, as the first and worst-hit country, has a wealth of data, experience and expertise. It was quick to share the virus’ genetic code and Chinese, American, Australian and European scientists are separately trying to develop a vaccine. A US company has already shipped a version for human testing and clinical trials on a China-created one are expected next month. But no single institution has the capacity or facilities to produce by itself a vaccine that can be distributed globally at a reasonable cost.
A year or two could pass without a vaccine and more importantly, a cure. China and the US, as the nations with the best resources, have to set aside their differences and work together for the global good.