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What's weird to me is this emphasis on being first. Most of the media trumpeting that there will be some huge advantage to being first seems wrong and misplaced
by altcognito 6y ago
What's weird to me is this emphasis on being first. Most of the media trumpeting that there will be some huge advantage to being first seems wrong and misplaced. Even if you manage to create a vaccine, you still have to manufacture and convince everyone it is effective. Rollout is likely to be pretty slow and uneven. This will take months.
In the meantime, other vaccines will be created that work just as well. The vaccine might be manufactured faster and be distributed more widely.
Create a vaccine isn't planting a flag or even reaching a specific destination. Creating a vaccine is travelling a known distance in similar types of cars. There's only so fast you can go.
- lioeters 6y agoMy take on this emphasis on being first: it's a reflection of how we view society as a competition, in business, warfare, and interpersonal relationships. To be "first to market", to have "first-mover advantage", is to demonstrate competence and superiority. Planting a flag on the moon was, partly, such a move. There's some truth to it, I believe, but the mentality is seemingly applied too broadly, to areas where there aren't any advantages - other than maybe reputation (which could be considered a real advantage). I agree with you that the apparent focus on "me first" is misplaced, when the effort to create a reliable vaccine is a global concern. The emphasis should be on its efficacy, in solving the immediate problem together.