The Delta variant has wreaked havoc across the world, with many countries recording their highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths since the pandemic began. The World Health Organization has predicted there could be more than 200 million confirmed cases within a matter of weeks.
The pandemic has caused one of the biggest increases in world hunger in decades. Health systems have been overwhelmed, while many countries are facing political instability as residents protest against inadequate responses to the pandemic.
Australia’s aid response has focused on the Pacific region as part of the Partnerships for Recovery program. While we’ve pledged $130 million to COVAX to distribute vaccines around the world, this is significantly less than most other countries, with other countries pledging billions of dollars and hundreds of millions of vaccines.
Myanmar
Following the February 1 military coup earlier this year, which saw the military junta seize complete power away from its democratically elected leaders, the country’s health system is on the brink of collapse. Medical staff have been forced to go into hiding as the military targets them for treating and supporting anti-coup protestors, with many murdered or arrested.
Record-high COVID-19 cases and deaths have been recorded this month, with more than 40,000 cases and nearly 2000 deaths recorded in the past week. Local public health experts have warned 50% of Myanmar’s 55 million people will be infected by either the Alpha or Delta variant in the coming weeks. Oxygen concentrators are being shared between families, with remaining tanks hoarded by the military.
Just 3.2% of residents have been vaccinated. China has provided 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines to an independent army in the country’s north and is strengthening its border controls with Myanmar.
What’s Australia doing? The Australian government has so far resisted placing sanctions on the coup leaders, saying it would instead support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) led solution — though its efforts so far have been futile, with the junta ignoring a consensus plan that called for the cessation of violence. Australia will provide $95.5 million in aid funding this financial year to Myanmar.
Indonesia
Indonesia has the highest daily number of COVID-19 cases in the world by population, with nearly 300,000 cases recorded in the past week and over 9500 deaths. Just 6.5% of the population is fully vaccinated.
The virus is now killing children, with 150 deaths recorded in the week of July 12 alone. Half of those deaths involved children younger than five. Despite the high case numbers, with a death rate three times higher than the global average amid a shortage of medical supplies, restrictions are set to be eased with malls and restaurants reopening.
What’s Australia doing? Earlier this month, Australia pledged to donate $12 million for medical equipment, 2.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses in 2021 and over 40,000 rapid-antigen test kits. But our health assistance to Indonesia was cut by 85% before the pandemic, with Australia criticised for not doing enough to help our neighbour.
Tunisia
This morning the Tunisian president sacked the prime minister following a week of unrest as anti-government protesters clashed with security forces in the capital Tunis. While President Kais Saied said it’s in response to years of economic and political paralysis, critics have called his action a coup. Residents are protesting against the government’s lack of support for the unemployed and inability to secure vaccines.
Tunisia’s health minister has also been sacked as the health system collapses, with specialist field hospitals overwhelmed. The country recorded 23,00 cases and 1000 deaths in the past week, with 7% of the country fully vaccinated.
What’s Australia doing? Tunisia, like many African countries, receives no aid from Australia. Between 2014 and 2020, aid to Africa and the Middle East has been slashed by $188.4 million, or 48.5%.
Mexico
Mexico has been plagued with misinformation campaigns, leading residents to reject the COVID-19 vaccine. Conspiracy theories spread largely via WhatsApp say the vaccine will kill residents within two years or that it’s a sign of the devil that curses anyone who receives it, and has infiltrated indigenous communities.
Nearly 90,000 new cases and over 2000 deaths were recorded in the past week, with 18% of the population fully vaccinated.
But the high case numbers haven’t deterred American tourists, who are flocking to popular beachside destinations. US President Joe Biden has extended COVID-19 travel restrictions to the country and is likely to delay phasing out a policy limiting migrants seeking asylum from crossing the southern U.S. border.
What’s Australia doing? Nothing. Australia phased out its aid program to Latin America in 2014.
Fiji
Despite keeping case numbers low across 2020, Fiji is now experiencing a surge of infections. There have been over 6000 new cases recorded in the last week and almost 100 deaths. Less than 10% of the population is fully vaccinated. Food rations are now being distributed by Fiji’s government with the economy decimated from the lack of tourists.
What’s Australia doing? Australia has sent two medical assistant teams to the country since June along with almost 400,000 AstraZeneca vaccines, 1.3 tones of personal protective equipment, medical supplies and COVID-19 testing equipment. Fiji will receive $83.5 million in Australian aid support this year.
DFAT didn’t respond to Crikey’s request for comment by deadline.
Given our geography, I get why Africa and the Americas aren’t high on our agenda, but why we aren’t doing for for our southeast Asian and Pacific Island neighbours is beyond me. Even if for entirely selfish reason of undermining the ascent of China, we could be doing a lot more, and should be doing a lot more given our close sociopolitical ties.
28 years of unbroken economic growth and prosperity – a world record. And over that period, Australia …. wait for it … cut its level of international aid. Possibly the most important single statistic to describe the miserable decline of Australia since Howard.
Especially for Indonesia – it looks like a total disaster there. Australians are happy enough to go to Bali in good times. We should help them in bad times.
Another variant will emerge, as they have in India, UK, Brazil, South Africa, all utterly corrupted right wing maniacs in charge as is the case here in NSW and federally
Barr said he was “realistic there is going to need to be an adjustment point” as vaccination rates increased and the country moved to Covid-normal, but not “when we, one of the best vaccinated jurisdictions in the country, are still sitting at 33%”.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/20/horribly-exposed-act-chief-minister-attacks-gladys-berejiklians-handling-of-nsw-covid-crisis
One would think that here at last Australian participation in helping our neighbours in a time of need would be an excellent boost to our standing in the vicinity. But yet again, we’re found wanting. Instead of ramping up manufacture of vaccines here and becoming part of the global and pacific solution, we’re going cap in hand and begging overseas manufacturers to please supply us with enough for ourselves. What a sad little country we’ve become…
Interesting aspect of Australia’s, or more to the point, is impact of the LNP, IPA etc. ideology that has focused negatively upon PRC for assisting several of our Pacific neighbours, for influence.
However, what has been ignored is the creeping influence of radical right libertarian ideology on both aid budgets and foreign policy i.e. ignoring our region in favour of the UK and US Anglosphere; especially so with Abbott and is now happening in the UK too (lowering aid budgets).
David Tyler Aimn: Morrison will go down in history as the PM who pork-barrelled vaccines
Government corruption is why we have variants.
We have variants originating in the UK, Peru, Brazil, India, due to corruption and greed which has seen the governments of those nations bleed the citizens dry while rorting the system for themselves and at times a compliant collusive military.
These nations have let health systems run down (UK) (Australia – no variants thanks to the Labor premiers and lock downs and despite a struggling public health system attacked relentlessly by the Coalition) but the variant producing nations have not provided for their citizens in any way, preferring the user pays Coalition stance as is found here.
Indonesia will most likely be next producing variant nation.
And it’s not beyond imagining that NSW could do so too if it doesn’t take WA Labor Premier Mark McGowan’s advice and enact a proper lockdown state-wide.
Corruption is especially rife in nations with poor/no public health systems or welfare systems. Then there is plain greed. Read in overseas paper some doses of vaccines are halved in order to make money, either from user-pays or govt. subsidy. Then we have the vaccination passport or vaccination certificate. These can definitely be purchased online in some countries.
I also believe many Australians look to our closest neighbours with a racist view.
What kind of aid was received – all free, or with business prospects for Australians if they were involved?
Not denying the charities or health aid/work by committed Australians – just airing some of
my concerns and understanding why we do not give more aid.
Do you realise China is filling the void?
What issue is there with China filling the void? Australia lacks the capacity in every respect to compete with China and, most certainly, Australia still holds racist views on both our neighbour’s and Asia in general. Vaccine Diplomacy is not restricted to China despite rhetoric to the contrary but as with everything that the LNP do, there is precious little Diplomacy of any kind.