Jo Raphael: Covid vaccine is more than just reopening borders

Rolling out a vaccine is more than just trying to re-open borders. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

So, a Covid-19 vaccine is on the horizon.

We're told it could be here as soon as the middle of next year.

A deal has been announced that will ensure about 750,000 Kiwis could be inoculated, subject to phase III trials and approvals.

For so long we've been told to not hold our breaths for the return of international travellers until a treatment or a vaccine can be found.

So many will be wondering if it will be the miracle panacea that will save our hemorrhaging tourism industry.

It's worth holding out hope, but the damage has been great and profound.

We are not the only country suffering – the UK has just announced a series of lockdowns affecting its citizens since March this year.

Brazil is home to a city where it is estimated one-third of its citizens have contracted the disease.

Victoria is still struggling to get its outbreak under control despite recent strict lockdowns and curfews.

But this is where we must focus on the real reason for the need for a vaccine: human lives.

Yes, the urgency to reopen borders is constantly pushed by politicians and industry leaders. But the numbers don't lie. The Johns Hopkins Covid-19 website says there are more than 38 million global infections, and more than 1 million deaths. Unthinkable.

Vaccine manufacture and distribution need to be a global effort.

World leaders need to think altruistically, putting people before profits, helping poorer governments with the infrastructure they need to roll out the vaccine. Lives depend on it.