Bruce catches the news at the end of the day. It had been a long day, full of busy calls facilitating local hospital needs and Tony's work with SI, and it is a bit of a relief to sit back and relax for a little while. Generally, the news isn't super relaxing, but today he sees a familiar face on screen.
Steve looks back at him, a calm expression on his face as he sits in his Captain America suit and gives a video conference interview. Bruce smiles and settles back to listen. Steve has been vocal throughout this pandemic, and he isn't surprised to see him now.
"Welcome," the news host smiles, the red of her dress contrasting nicely with the blues of Steve's uniform. She chats for a few minutes with Steve about the current state of the pandemic in New York, and the Avengers' work within it, before coming around to the main topic of the day.
"Is it correct, Captain, that you and the other Avengers were recently able to receive your first COVID vaccination?"
Steve nods, and the screen shifts to show a series of social media shots of all of them sitting in masks with their sleeve rolled up. "Yes," Steve's voice carries over the pictures. "Vaccination is expanding over the United States, and as a group, we wanted to encourage everyone to get vaccinated."
The host chuckles and the screen shifts back to show her and Steve. "Some people have wondered whether you or Sergeant Barnes needed to get the vaccine. Wouldn't your serum protect you?"
Steve's mouth pulls up and he shrugs a shoulder. "That is a legitimate question," he says. "But the truth is, we don't know everything the serum can do, and it is better to get vaccinated, than risk spreading the virus."
The host nods and looks down at her notes, before looking up again. "I'm sure some people are curious, but which vaccine did you get?"
Steve's mouth quirks up. "We actually decided not to reveal which specific brand of vaccine we got." His hands fold in his lap and he straightens his shoulders. "I know there has been varying news around the different kinds of vaccines, but it is important to remember than any vaccine is better than none. The vaccines available are very safe, and if you have the opportunity to get vaccinated, you should not refuse it based on which vaccine you would prefer."
The hostess nods, tucking her short hair behind her ear. "Experts tell us we need to reach a certain level of vaccination in order to eradicate the COVID virus," she starts. "Are you concerned some Americans will not want to get vaccinated?"
Steve shifts as he thinks over the question. "That is a concern, yes," he says, his eyes solemn. "Over the years, there has been growing distrust and hesitancy around vaccination." He breathes in. "When I first woke up here, I was amazed at the number of vaccines we had developed, and the anti-vaccination movement was incomprehensible to me."
Bruce huffs. Yes, he has heard Steve's rants about the problematic movement often enough, especially recently. The vaccines available are safe. The way they work is to teach the body how to recognise and fight the COVID virus, but there is no risk of catching the virus from the vaccine itself. And, the chance of fatal side effects is so low, and the risk of COVID so high, that in most cases, vaccination is the best route. In general, the arguments against vaccination are flawed at best, and ableist and eugenicist at worst. He can tell Steve is trying to avoid descending into a full-blown rant though, because he presses his lips together and moves onto his next talking point.
"Of course, concerns over the safety of the vaccine are not the only reason some people might not get vaccinated." He crosses one leg over the other and nods at the host. "A recent survey came out and stated that many Americans without insurance may not feel comfortable getting the vaccine because they don't know it is free, or don't trust that they won't be charged for it."
The hostess nods in understanding. "Were you asked if you had insurance when you were vaccinated?"
Steve dips his chin. "Yes, however, if someone does not have insurance, they will not be denied, and they will not be charged. The vaccine is free to receive."
Bruce leans back and breathes out. The healthcare system in his home country leaves much to be desired, and he isn't surprised that the worry over the cost of vaccines might scare some people away. Hopefully Steve will be able to reassure them.
The host changes gears for a little while to talk about the current distribution method in the States, and more locally in New York. Bruce's sees Steve's eyes flash. "A large portion of the U.S. population, as well as the population of other countries such as Canada, the U.K., and Israel have been able to get their first dose of the vaccine," he quotes, and Bruce knows immediately where the next part of the conversation will be going.
"But," Steve raises his chin. "There are at least 49 countries where less than one per cent of the population has received their first dose, and more who are reporting no vaccine data at all." His lips thin. "Right now, while we debate and argue about getting vaccinated or not—and debate which kind of vaccine we want—other countries who were not able to stockpile vaccines can't get vaccinated at all."
He breathes in. "This is not a new problem. Before I woke up from the ice, you had another pandemic, H1N1. Back then, rich countries made deals with vaccine suppliers to get first dibs on vaccines too. This bilateral system means that rich countries can hoard vaccines, and ultimately, prolong this pandemic."
The host rearranges her notes, her head bobbing in agreement. "We were just speaking with an expert on that," she says. "She worries that with so few countries approaching herd immunity by mass vaccination, COVID-19 might be here to stay and could give way to variants that could evade our current vaccines."
Steve nods emphatically. "That is the problem with a nationalistic approach to vaccine distribution, rather than a world-wide approach. Some experts predict that it will take years to vaccinate lower-income countries, and that is simply unacceptable."
Yes, that is something Bruce is familiar with. Through his work in various countries before he had joined the Avengers, he is more than well-acquainted with the disparity between care available to rich and poor countries. Countries who can't afford to buy millions of doses of multiple types of vaccines have to wait in line while richer countries like the U.S. and Canada buy enough to vaccinate their population two to five times over.
Which just makes the people who refuse to get vaccinated even more frustrating.
There is a system in place that was intended to help the global spread of the COVID vaccine—COVAX. Bruce sighs when he thinks about it. The premise is good. The system is designed so that richer countries can still fund the vaccine development, but the distribution of the vaccine itself is more equal. Unfortunately, the system had been implemented after many countries had already bought a lot of vaccines, and therefore had less incentive to invest in COVAX. It is still working to distribute vaccines to places that wouldn't otherwise get it, but the percentage is way below what is needed.
"Part of the problem," he looks up as Steve continues on screen, "is that the COVID vaccine is patented." He sees the flicker of anger that passes over Steve's face, even though he tries to keep his voice measured and even. "This prevents poorer countries from being able to manufacture their own vaccines, and forces them to wait in line while production staggers." He breathes in. "In order to improve our vaccination system, both now and in the future, we need to stop treating pharmaceutical products as private commodities, and start treating them as global public goods."
Bruce nods, and he can feel the Other Guy rumble in agreement in the back of his mind. This is not the first time protecting pharmaceutical companies' intellectual property rights has resulted in an unnecessary body count. The same thing had happened with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. And the same thing will keep happening unless things are forced to change.
He imagines a lot of people will probably bring up the polio vaccine, especially since Steve is talking about vaccine patents. It is true that the polio vaccine hadn't been patented, and that polio has nearly been wiped out world-wide because of it. He knows though, from his medical schooling, that the creators of the polio vaccine had looked into a patent. The reason they didn't patent it may not have been a moral one. Instead, it may simply have been because the polio vaccine is unpatentable.
That is not the case with the COVID vaccines, and people are suffering because of it.
"Vaccines can prevent and protect against a multitude of diseases," Steve concludes, his face set in a familiar look of determination. "But only if people use, and have access to them. If we want this pandemic to end, then we need to support the vaccination of everyone, everywhere."
Bruce breathes out as the hostess thanks Steve and concludes the interview. The station moves on to reporting the weather, and he lets himself zone out as he thinks. He is glad Steve brought up the issues surrounding vaccination. It is frustrating sometimes, dealing with slow rollout procedures, and confronting anti-vaxxers, but there is a lot more going on world-wide too.
If we want this to be over, he thinks as he pushes himself up and gets ready to prepare supper. Then we are going to need to work together on this.
AN: There are a lot of frustrating things about vaccination. Slow rollouts, anti-vaxxers, and misinformation. And then, of course, we have to acknowledge that vaccination distribution is not equal. Vaccine patents are a big problem right now, and will prolong this pandemic, so I would encourage you to support COVAX and removing patents on COVID vaccines.
Also, please get vaccinated if you can, and continue to abide by COVID guidelines, even after you get vaccinated.
If you're curious about the research behind this fic, or want more information, I have posted this fic under the same name in AO3, and it has all the links.
Other fics about corona:
"Again with the Plague"
"Masks For Bucky Barnes"