Quiet murder

Russian health officials assure that the incidence of Covid is falling. They also report that mortality is growing. QR-transpans are everywhere introduced , and doctors are supposed to be awarded for each vaccinated. However, only by measures of an administrative nature the problem cannot be solved, and the Russian government does not know how to do anything else.

The authoritarian regime looks successful while he manages to solve the problems that he himself creates. As soon as he encounters non -competitive problems, his helplessness is immediately discovered, the inability to cope with serious challenges. One of the last and most striking illustrations of the failure of Russian authoritarianism is ineffective opposition to coronavirus infection pandemia. Fortunately, as soon as last spring, the pandemic reached Russia, the Kremlin had the mind to abandon the traditional mechanism of a centralized solution to problems and provide the regions with the opportunity to independently take the necessary anti -epidemic measures. It seems that in Moscow they suddenly realized that they could not cope with this crisis, and they hastened to shift responsibility to regional authorities.

The fight against pandemia in Russia at first was not much different from the confrontation of Covid in other countries. The measures were either redundant or insufficient. So far, little was known about the disease, such a shirahah from side to side seemed explainable. However, in the first wave of pandemia, Russia differed from most other countries by one feature: the lack of reliable medical statistics. Indicators of incidence and mortality in other countries were calculated differently: somewhere accompanying diseases were considered the cause of death from Covid, somewhere. Statistics were built on various grounds, but it was reliable in the sense that it was deliberately not distorted.

In Russia, almost from the very beginning of the pandemic, even doctors began to suspect fraud in the reports of incidence and mortality. Covid statistics are deliberately, which I believe, was underestimated. The explanation lay on the surface: in authoritarian regimes, subordinates should not look helpless in the eyes of the authorities, and even more so - with a bang losers. The federal government was pleased with this, it was very necessary to proud of success. In the spirit of the "Potemkin villages" reports on the fight against Covid were embellished in every possible way.

This harmful practice has expanded when a race to the synthesis of a vaccine began around the world. Spurred by the ambitions of the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, on August 11, 2020, the Ministry of Health hastened to register the Gam-Kovid-Wak vaccine , which later received the name "satellite V". At the same time, of the three necessary phases of clinical tests, the vaccine passed only the first two. In the Western world, no one could afford this, it would be at least unprofessional. However, according to the Russian leadership, Russia, obviously, should be the first - this is a matter of honor of a great power, even if you have to cheat.

The haste with the registration of the vaccine resembles the same haste at the beginning of the space race. In the USA, the plans of the first space flight were not hidden from anyone. In the USSR, everything related to the first flight into space was a state secret. NASA in February 1961 announced that Alan Shepard would be the first to fly into space. In the USSR named after Yuri Gagarin, no one knew before his prosperous return to Earth. In the United States, the first space flight was planned on March 24, 1961, but then was postponed to May 5. In the USSR, they tried to overtake the Americans and sent Gagarin into space on April 12, and Shepard, as planned, flew on May 5. In the USSR, only experts followed the flight of Gagarin, from citizens of the country the flight was kept secret. In the USA, more than 70 million Americans watched a live broadcast from the Cosmodrome at Cape Canver.
American openness, of course, was much more attractive than Soviet secrecy, but as a result, the Soviet Union received a propaganda trump card, which allowed it to argue that it was possible to overtake the United States in the development of space only thanks to the superiority of socialism over capitalism.

Domestic consumers are accustomed to show and native Russian authorities do not believe

Something like that was probably planned to crank with the vaccine from coronavirus. They did everything possible, up to the fraud, to declare the first. Announced. What next? This is not a space race where he wanted - flew, did not want to - put off the flight. The vaccine should work, and for this, in addition to good biochemical properties, it must have a reputation as a reliable and safe drug. It was precisely with the reputation that problems arose: neither the WHO nor the European Union can register the vaccine, because, as I understand it, there are no reliable data on the third phase of clinical trials.

The matter, however, is not only in the formal recognition of Russian vaccines around the world. Most likely, the "satellite V" is not such a bad vaccine. Its preventive effect is obvious, although, perhaps, it is not as great as Russian medical officials say. But now the point is not how good it is, but how much domestic consumers trust her. And domestic consumers are accustomed to show and native Russian authorities do not believe . It is difficult to convince them, even having good arguments. And what kind of good arguments are there, when the WHO with the EU "Sputnik V" is not recognized!

The Russian government reapes the fruits of its shortsightedness and a conceited desire to be "ahead of the whole planet." The imaginary championship turned out to be a failure: in the country, according to official figures, only 36% of the population was vaccinated (although Putin believes that 50 million people are already vaccinated), distrust of the domestic vaccine is applied to the already impressive global movement of anti -Vaxes. The result in Russia is catastrophic: 35–40 thousand new sick daily, more than a thousand who died from Covid every day. The vaccination campaign is practically failed, and collective immunity is achieved mainly due to the acquired immunity with ill -filed.

The situation is difficult, but not hopeless. A massive refusal to be vaccinated with domestic drugs could be compensated by the ability to get involved in Pfizer , Moderna , Johnson & Johnson , Astrazeneca vaccines recognized throughout the world. In Russia, very many would have agreed to vaccinate with these drugs. But here the Russian government rested firmly and childishly: we will allow us to apply your vaccine with us only if you allow us to use ours. As if it is not about the life of people, but about the mutual recognition of the symbols of power!

Such a game of stupid ambitions and indefatigable vanity cannot be explained by any reasonable arguments. Yes, no one is trying to explain anything! Only one mantra is repeated: "on a mutual basis." The Kremlin finally found a national idea, it is called "our mirror response to the West." And let him die out at least half of Russia, the proud Kremlin sovereigns will not retreat a single step: admit that we are making a vaccine no worse than you, then we will agree to give our citizens a chance of salvation. If someday it comes to the Hague, then the ban on the use of Western vaccines in Russia can be qualified as a criminal inaction, which entailed the mass death of the population. A quiet murder stretched out in time and going on before our eyes.

Alexander Podrabinek - human rights activist and journalist

Opinions expressed under the heading "Law" may not reflect the point of view of the editorial office

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