Unit 3 & 4 Essay Assignment

The Divisions Exposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic

JulyAnh Nguyen

CPW4UP – AP Politics

Jeff LaForge

2021/02/16
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“Everything other than working was forbidden: walking in the streets, having fun, singing, dancing, getting

together, everything was forbidden.”1 This line was an excerpt taken from George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel,

“Nineteen Eighty-Four” and 72 years later this is what the mantras of today refer to as, ‘stay at home, stay safe’ and

‘social distancing’. However, not even the most timeless political writer could anticipate the unforeseen challenges

of COVID-19. The magnitude of the pandemic has contributed to exposing some of the greatest social cleavages

worldwide. Alone, COVID-19 has managed to take a significant toll on each nation by inflicting profound changes

in life expectancy between the young and old, the conflict between liberty and security, and economic disparity

between the wealthy and impoverished nations.

Figure 1: Number of Hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths by Coronavirus disease in United States from
February 12 to March 16, 2019.

As societies around the world are struggling to protect their populations in the battle against COVID-19,

citizens and policymakers are trying to make sense of the magnitude of the crisis and the lives that it threatens.

Evidently, the pandemic alone has widened the inequalities in health through their impacts on the well-being of the

elderly population.2 Everyone’s experience is influenced by access to resources and in countries like the United

1
Ulrike Vieten, Veikko Eranti, and Paul Blokker, "Thinking and Writing in the Time of Pandemic COVID-19," 118
2
Joshua Goldstein and Ronald Lee, "Correction for Goldstein and Lee, Demographic Perspectives on the Mortality
of COVID-19 and Other Epidemics”, 2-3
 2

States of America, a person's race, socioeconomic status and other characteristics all have profound impacts on it. 3

Statistically speaking, the virus is dangerous for all age groups, but according to an expert at the World Economic

Forum, Dr. Kate Tulenko, confirms that there is a direct correlation between mortality and age in China. 4 If there

ever was a society that was structured so that everyone had the same chance at health, we would not be able to see

these disparities emerge more than they already have. This is the concept of equity and equality and in theory,

putting equity ahead of equality should result in a “fairer” society however when it comes to health defining that

notion has now caused governments to face a moral dilemma on whether to focus on protecting the old or allowing

the young to continue working.5 In the United States, it is evident from Figure 1 that the epidemic poses a higher

mortality risk for older adults if they are diagnosed with the virus with a vast majority of COVID-19 case-fatalities

and hospitalized patients who are aged 65 and older.6 Studies suggest that this is mainly due to increased

vulnerability to infection of older patients to contract diseases in other conditions like acute respiratory distress

syndrome or lung injuries which weaken their body's ability to combat the infectious disease. 7 Socially, the root

causes of inequity from the elderly might also be due to challenges obtaining access to information about what to do,

or access to the fundamental resources for survival such as food and water.8 In many societies, seniors are more

likely to live in poverty, which makes it more increasingly difficult for them to get the things they need to take care

of themselves.9 In studies conducted by scientists for the Biomed Central public health journal, it was found that

COVID-19 mortality rates were strongly associated with older age with estimated incident rate ratios being highest

in elders across 16 countries.10 This result was consistent with the findings in a meta-analysis conducted on the

effect of age on all-cause mortality countries like: China, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 11

3
Sarah LaFave, "The Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults," The Hub, John Hopkins University, May 05, 2020,
accessed February 15, 2021, https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/05/05/impact-of-covid-19-on-the-elderly
4
Kate Whiting, "An Expert Explains: How to Help Older People through the COVID-19 Pandemic," World
Economic Forum, March 12, 2020, accessed February 15, 2021,
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-elderly-older-people-health-risk
5
(Whiting, 2020)
6
Stephanie Bialek, et al. “Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United
States, February 12–March 16, 2020.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 69, no. 12, 27 Mar.
2020, 345
7
Stephanie Bialek, et. al, “Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United
States, February 12–March 16, 2020.”, 344
8
(Lafave, 2021)
9
(Whiting, 2020)
10
David Yanez et al., "COVID-19 Mortality Risk for Older Men and Women," BMC Public Health 20, no. 1
(November 19, 2020), 3
11
David Yanez et al., 7
 3

Despite each varying national healthcare systems, patient characteristics, or prevalence of diagnostic testing, the

largest increase in mortality risk was observed in patients aged 60 to 69 across all 5 where New York State had the

highest mortality rate with a value of 21% and the lowest in China with 3.1%.12 As policymakers prepare to make

decisions on how to curb the outbreak while reducing pressures on the health care system and reopening the

economy, it will be important that future choices be tailored towards the demographics of the population and more

specifically the prevalence of people aged 60 or older in specific regions.13 As such, scientists should continue

monitoring the population dynamics and trends to provide further guidance on how to protect the more vulnerable

population.14 The exacerbation of inequalities continue to be exposed by this ongoing global crisis amidst the chaos

where the moral quandary of freedom and liberty comes into light.

Figure 2: An infographic created by Freedom House based on research suggesting that at least 91 of 192
countries have experienced restrictions on the news media in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.

12
David Yanez et al., "COVID-19 Mortality Risk for Older Men and Women,", 4
13
Ibid, 7
14
Ulrike M. Vieten, Veikko Eranti, and Paul Blokker, "Thinking and Writing in the Time of Pandemic COVID-19,"
European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology, 120
 4

In the ongoing struggle for civil liberties during the lockdown, COVID-19 has fueled the tumultuous battle

between freedom and security all over the world. In times of crisis, it often entails an encroachment on civil liberties

for the perceived greater good.15 While these limits may be viewed as necessary, it is often the case that the power

seized by opportunistic governments to capitalize on the chaos enables public servants to exert greater control over

their citizens. In the report, “Democracy under Lockdown” by the Freedom House, new research suggests the

conditions of democracy and human rights have worsened in 80 countries.16 Furthermore, governments have

responded by engaging in abuses of power, silencing their critics, and weakening or shuttering important

institutions, often undermining the very system of accountability needed to protect public health. 17 Research

conducted by McGill University strongly supports the exacerbation of the weak inequalities between security and

freedom.18 As how a Cambodian representative puts it, “the government [took] coronavirus as the opportunity to

demolish democratic space”.19 Internationally, the right to expression now faces new challenges for many foreign

regimes that continue to resort to censorship as a tool to confront the crisis.20 Having begun long before the

pandemic, the laws and norms in many countries continue to regulate free speech in order to closely follow the

political contours of their respective governments. In China, the past 10 months have proven to be the dystopian

model for the future with increased nationalist and propagandistic rhetoric from authorities and draconian curbs over

free expression to silence external parties and even its own citizens. 21 In efforts to drown out calls for transparency

and accountability, Chinese authorities have enhanced surveillance technologies within the country as a security

measure to crack down on individuals who contradict regime messaging and when push comes to shove the

persecution of potential critics among domestic elites. Now more than ever, the struggle between liberty and security

has bolstered the disparity in not only authoritarian but now “infected” democratic regimes with a fog of

misinformation surrounding the pandemic and attempts to politicize public health from officials. As shown through

15
Jessica Maloney, "Freedom vs. Security: Civil Liberties in the COVID-19 Crisis," McGill Journal of Political
Studies, August 22, 2020, accessed February 15, 2021, https://mjps.ssmu.ca/2020/08/22/freedom-vs-security-civil-
liberties
16
Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz. "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom." Journal of
Democracy, October 2020, 1
17
Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz. "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom.", 2
18
(Maloney, 2021)
19
Ibid, 12
20
Sarah Repucci. “The Freedom House Survey for 2019: The Leaderless Struggle for Democracy.” Journal of
Democracy, 6-7
21
Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz, "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom,", 2-3
 5

Figure 2, at least 91 of 192 countries experience restrictions as part of the response to the coronavirus outbreak. 22

The pandemic has aggravated this already negative trajectory, particularly in countries where independent

journalism has already been under pressure. In Nigeria, there have been cases where journalists have been detained

for their opinions of government policies while the presidency has limited accreditations for press conferences. 23

These restrictions have helped to enable governments to act with impunity, often with the assistance of subservient

legislature. However, even when governments seem to be providing accurate information, quarantines and

restrictions on travel may hinder the ability of the media to monitor and question them.24 Governments and citizens

must recognize that the freedom of the press and freedom of expression are essential for exposing misconduct and

assessing the efficacy of the pandemic response. Public health will depend on the protection of these core values as

when the fabric of society and the safety of its citizens are threatened, it becomes clear that there can be no moral

absolute.25 However, Thomas Hobbes argues the contrary when he said in “Leviathan”, "The obligation of subjects

to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasting by which he is able to protect

them".26 In times of crisis, he argued that citizens would turn to a leviathan, to protect us from one another, that we

would surrender our rights and freedom to an absolute power. The question of whether a sovereign power is needed

calls into question whether authoritarian and democratic regimes have responded better to this disruption in daily

life.27 Nevertheless, the political struggle for democratic governance will continue to remain a cleavage across all

types of regimes in every region as long as there is a desire from political institutions to continue strengthening their

own authority; it is the civic responsibility that citizens continue to challenge them.

22
Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz, 7
23
Ibid, 8
24
(Maloney, 2021)
25
Rachel Kleinfeld, "Do Authoritarian or Democratic Countries Handle Pandemics Better?" Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace, March 31, 2020, accessed February 15, 2021,
https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/03/31/do-authoritarian-or-democratic-countries-handle-pandemics-better-pub-
81404
26
Christain Oliver, “Of Leviathan and Lockdowns.” Politico, 5 May 2020, www.politico.eu/article/thomas-
hobbesof-philosophy-coronavirus-leviathan-and-lockdowns/
27
(Kleinfeld, 2021)
 6

Figure 3: Total Number of Vaccinations doses administered per 100 people as of February 15, 2021

In more recent times with the rollout of vaccines, the race to acquire sufficient quantities casts the interests

of national governments in a negative light.28 In Figure 3 above, Our World in Data analyzes the financial strength

between nations through the development of their mass immunization programs through the number of doses

administered per 100 people.29 This depicts the wealth disparity due to the unequal allocation of COVID-19

vaccines.30 It is from the experiences of previous pandemics that on the onset in responding to such, national

governments tend to follow their own mercenary agendas instead of pursuing a more globally coordinated

approach.31 This has led to the rise of a behavioral phenomenon known as ‘vaccine nationalism’, a distinct ideology

28
Rebecca Weintraub, Asaf Bitton, and Mark Rosenberg. "The Danger of Vaccine Nationalism." Harvard Business
Review. May 22, 2020. Accessed February 15, 2021. https://hbr.org/2020/05/the-danger-of-vaccine-nationalism
29
(Weintraub et. al, 2020)
30
Megan Twohey, Keith Collins, and Katie Thomas. "With First Dibs on Vaccines, Rich Countries Have 'Cleared
the Shelves'." The New York Times. December 15, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/coronavirus-
vaccine-doses-reserved.html.
31
Marco Hafner, Yerushalmi Erez,, Fay Element, Eliane Dufresne, and Christian Van Stolk, “COVID-19 and the
cost of vaccine nationalism.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2020, 5
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that could have negative consequences.32 There has been plenty of concern regarding the approach to manufacturing

and distribution of pharmaceutical treatments more equitably. According to an academic study by the National

Bureau of Economic Research, countries with a large number of cases lag in obtaining the vaccine and other

medicines could lead to adverse effects on the economy.33 As the disease continues to disrupt economic activity

through global supply chains, the extensive costs associated with COVID-19 could yield a disastrous blow to the

financial world. Even if some countries manage to immunize themselves, if the virus is not under the complete

control of all regions in the world, it could cost the financial system up to $1.2 trillion in GDP terms. 34

Unfortunately, in the critical game of medicine logistics where supply is small but demand is immediate, -- higher-

income countries like the U.K, U.S, Bahrain and Israel are prioritizing their domestic needs at the expense of

others.35 As a professor of health economics from the University of Oxford said, "The clear failure here is not having

stronger international institutions and stronger funding to pay for a vaccine globally.” 36 It is due to that ‘hoarding’

mentality that has left countries to fend for themselves leaving the low-income countries with inadequate

vaccination coverage before 2023 if at all.37 Productions represent the main hurdle of the class struggle with more

privileged groups given the priority to develop their own vaccines and early access to doses. In addition, the costs

associated will be significant, especially for the less-developed countries that have a limited supply of fiscal

resources. However, the issues regarding the distribution of the vaccine does not only affect lower income countries

but also the middle-income ones due to inferior purchasing power. In Canada, the Trudeau government is at the

mercy of this behavioural phenomenon being forced to explain delays in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccines. It is

due to the country’s lack of domestic production, that it bears the reality of remaining at the mercy of foreign

pharmaceutical companies that have scaled back their deliveries and foreign governments that will inevitably put

their interests first.38 The contrast between the wealthy and poor is stark and especially more adverse towards nations

32
(Weintraub et. al, 2020)
33
"Study Shows Vaccine Nationalism Could Cost Rich Countries US$4.5 Trillion," ICC, January 25, 2021,
accessed February 15, 2021, https://iccwbo.org/media-wall/news-speeches/study-shows-vaccine-nationalism-could-
cost-rich-countries-us4-5-trillion/
34
Marco Hafner, Yerushalmi Erez,, Fay Element, Eliane Dufresne, and Christian Van Stolk, “COVID-19 and the
cost of vaccine nationalism.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2020, 17
35
Marco Hafner, Yerushalmi Erez,, Fay Element, Eliane Dufresne, and Christian Van Stolk, 20
36
Ibid, 60
37
(Weintraub et. al, 2020)
38
Ryan Tumilty, "Why Canada Is at the Mercy of Vaccine Nationalism during the COVID Pandemic,"
Nationalpost, February 13, 2021, accessed February 15, 2021, https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/why-canada-is-
at-the-mercy-of-vaccine-nationalism-during-the-covid-pandemic
 8

with a younger demographic profile as they might lose the motivation to distribute vaccines, especially if the disease

has proliferated widely among the population and the associated costs are too high to cover. 39 No matter the case, the

need to foster international sharing of vaccines must be enforced. The World Health Organization has already

responded with a plan called COVAX which will finance poorer and middle-income countries to receive the lion’s

share on a prioritized basis.40 However, COVAX remains a system that unintentionally favors more privileged

nations such as Singapore, New Zealand and Canada with priority of the vaccine rollout’s first allotment. 41

Ultimately, it is the hope that by the end of 2021, 1.8 billion vaccines of the total global number will be devoted to

the 92 lower-income countries involved.42 Human ingenuity has evolved to the point now where we have the tools,

institutions and organizations to bring down the death toll of infectious diseases. However, beyond financing,

countries must remember that the foe right now is not one another. A nationalistic stance will only prolong this

global health and economic crisis and vaccines must be reallocated on the basis of protecting the most vulnerable

groups at all costs-- no matter what nation they reside in. In the battle against the virus, if people from all over the

world set aside their differences in income, age or civil liberties victory will be within humanity’s grasp.

The COVID-19 shock was unexpected and severe. It caught the world unprepared as countries scrambled

to implement policies to curb the spread of the virus, contain the financial panic, and offset the economic contraction

all at the same time.43 The entire year was spent with intermittent lockdown policies, as countries learned from each

other’s experiences. More importantly, the public health crisis dogged many nations with polarization, inequality

and a sense of failed promise that will leave long-lasting repercussions, until there is a greater display of

international solidarity.44 As John Donne once said, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the

continent, a part of the main...”45 No country can beat this virus alone and some countries are better equipped to

respond than others. As such, there should be no excuse for one nation to be left out in the global effort if the virus is
39
N.a. “More than 85 Poor Countries Will Not Have Widespread Access to Coronavirus Vaccines before 2023.”
Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited., 29 Jan. 2021, www.eiu.com/n/85-poor-
countries-will-not-have-access-to-coronavirus-vaccines
40
Marco Hafner, Yerushalmi Erez, Fay Element, Eliane Dufresne, and Christian Van Stolk, “COVID-19 and the cost
of vaccine nationalism.”, 21
41
John Paul Tasker, "What Is COVAX and Why Is Canada Getting Backlash for Receiving Vaccines from It? | CBC
News," CBCnews, February 05, 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/covax-explainer-canada-backlash-
1.5902072
42
Ibid, 45
43
António Guterres, "We Are All in This Together: Human Rights and COVID-19 Response and Recovery," United
Nations, April 23, 2020, accessed February 15, 2021, https://www.un.org/en/un-coronavirus-communications-
team/we-are-all-together-human-rights-and-covid-19-response-and
44
(Guterres, 2020)
 9

to be beaten. A renewed and healthy society is possible only if governments and public authorities establish policies

and programs that bridge the gap between the cleavages alluded to. This is by imposing more strict health

restrictions and emergency laws that will adhere to the right to health, ensure a more free and independent media

that would facilitate an environment where people can have access to fact-based information and finally enforcing a

more just and fair agreement where countries do not feel the need to limit supplies when it suits them. In the

development towards addressing these divides in civil society, the solution lies within the community. If humans

hope to recover and prosper in the wake of the post-pandemic world, a shared commitment towards a more inclusive

and equitable safety net must be at the forefront.

Bibliography

45
C.C.T. Lim and K. Tsuchiya, "“No Man Is an Island” John Donne," American Journal of Neuroradiology 41, no.
6 (April 30, 2020), 1
 10

Bialek, Stephanie, et al. “Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United

States, February 12–March 16, 2020.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 69, no. 12,

27 Mar. 2020, pp. 343–346., doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6912e2.

Goldstein, Joshua R., and Ronald D. Lee. "Correction for Goldstein and Lee, Demographic Perspectives on the

Mortality of COVID-19 and Other Epidemics." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no.

47 (November 02, 2020): 1-8. doi:10.1073/pnas.2021355117.

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better-pub-81404.

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hub.jhu.edu/2020/05/05/impact-of-covid-19-on-the-elderly/.

Maloney, Jessica. "Freedom vs. Security: Civil Liberties in the COVID-19 Crisis." McGill Journal of Political

Studies. August 22, 2020. Accessed February 15, 2021. https://mjps.ssmu.ca/2020/08/22/freedom-vs-

security-civil-liberties/

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Democracy, October 2020, 1-17. https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/COVID-

19_Special_Report_Final_.pdf

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 11

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vaccine-nationalism

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