1) Since the spring, the media has basically ignored vaccine politics. Until recently there was little coverage of plans for global distribution. We consumed Trump, Trump, Trump and slept on vaccine distribution and production injustices.

2) That’s changing. In about 1 month, the US will be over the hero phase of vaccine coverage. This is when things will get ugly. The majority of the population will find itself waiting months for doses. People will want to know more about production shortages and private deals.

3) At this time, they will experience (for a brief moment) what low income countries have felt as rich nations bought (and overbought) vaccine doses, leaving them in the cold until, at least, 2022.

4) It is my sincerest hope that at this time Americans will begin to think about the privatized Pharma system, which artificially limits vaccines through a competitive research structure that prohibits knowledge sharing and production partnering.

5) Sadly, it’s gonna take Americans getting a taste of their own medicine for these injustices to become more widely understood.

6) Marc Rubio getting a vaccine ahead of millions of other more needy people is just the tip of the iceberg. The injustice isn’t limited to domestic distribution protocols. Collectively, the world could have manufactured way more doses by now.