Russia and China’s global vaccine race and Korean cat coronavirus tests
Welcome to the Infodemic. We are tracking how disinformation surrounding the coronavirus crisis is reshaping our lives. Below are the narratives, both real and fake, that have grabbed our attention and deserve yours.
The EU is now admitting its vaccination failures. The president of the European Commission has said the bloc has underestimated difficulties of production, was “too late to authorize” vaccines and too optimistic about the timeline of the rollout for the EU’s 450 million citizens. Public health aside, these delays have an additional geopolitical price tag.
Hungary is striking out on its own using an emergency decree to fast-track approvals for both the Sputnik V and Sinopharm vaccines. The first EU leader to approve both inoculations, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has his eye on elections in spring 2022, hoping that a Russian and Chinese-enabled vaccination blitz will allow him to reopen the economy. Orban promised that “the vaccine is not a political issue,” but the speedy approvals tie in with his general euroskepticism and efforts to strengthen ties with Russia and China.
After a “scouting” trip to Hungary, Prime Minister Andrej Babis of the Czech Republic may follow Orban’s lead in certifying Sputnik V, ahead of approval from the European Medicines Agency. During the visit, Orban addressed Babis directly in a speech, advising him to bypass the EU, saying “We cannot wait for Brussels.