COVID 19 vaccine – science vs. power - Tecnología Media y Nerdos

Grado de dificultad: 3 (Por el idioma).

Columnista: Redacción

A fight for credibility, around a a real vaccine against COVID 19, is raging in United States. It is of international interest.

Some of you may remember how the Boeing 737 Max 8 disaster started. If you don’t, here is a short recall.

When its strongest competitor, Airbus released his A320neo, it turned out to be a highly energy-efficient machine.

The industrial bet was successful … And a bit lucky: there were some initial issues with its Pratt & Whitney reactors.

These troubles were solved, boosting the aircraft constructor with a lot of sellings.

Boeing tried to reproduce the industrial trick: an already existing model on which new more efficient reactors were mounted.

They had, however, little time to counter the economic loss created by their successful opponent.

Unfortunately, it quickly turned out that they didn’t have an existing plane as a good candidate.

The closest one was an old model from the sixties, the Boeing 737.

It became a case study about corporate decisions vs. scientific and technical evidence.

To start with, that plane was too low. The new reactor was bigger and would rub the ground at landing.

“Never mind” answered the corporation to its engineers, let’s move the engines upward and closer to the center.

Also, let us cheat with their shape, flattening their lower part …

It seemed cunning to the executives, #gotcha.

What does it have to do with the research for a COVID 19 vaccine? The similarity of the pattern.

The urgency, to begin with… This was last week great news.

States should prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine as early as November 1 “just in case” one is proved safe and effective by then.

… A cunningly crafted statement.

Of course, why would it be? #sharpiegate.

Now, pharmaceutical companies just released a pledge:

As summed up in the first sentence of this text, they will [quote]:

“… continue to make the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals the top priority in development of the first COVID-19 vaccines”

There is, however, a slight difference with the Boeing case.

Boeing engineers were trying to warn their bosses (financers and administrators) of a huge mistake.

In the COVID 19 case, epidemiologists can count on their bosses (financers and administrators) to back them.

In other terms, it won’t be a science-versus-power struggle, but more a corporate-power-versus-government-power one.

Or, at least, so does it look like.

Why is that?

We think that, somehow, the Boeing case was a lesson to reckless corporates.
In Boeing case, 346 people died. The US (alone) toll on the pandemic is already over 189000 deaths and going up.
Other vaccines are on their way outside of USA, which would make a failure more damaging for US pharmaceutical industry.

However, reckless Boeing-style executives are present in this fight, like this one: