For most people, a vaccine against the coronavirus can’t come soon enough. So it’s encouraging that there are:

100 vaccine candidates in 12 countries
8 already in clinical trials

Yet there’s still a danger humanity will fail to control Covid-19 https://trib.al/vKDf39c 

The problem may not be the medical complexity of engineering a vaccine, but the politics surrounding inoculation.

Gear up for an intense, irrational and nasty fight http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

Even after we’ve settled on a safe, effective vaccine, there won’t be enough for everyone. So we’ll have to decide:

Who should get the shots first?
Who won’t get any? http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

With the right leadership, the world would overcome these difficulties.

40 years ago, even as the Cold War raged between the U.S. and Soviet Union, humanity was able to unite and eradicate smallpox http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

Today, however, is different. A “My Country First” nationalism is spreading.

Earlier this year, German officials were outraged after reports — unconfirmed — that Trump tried to buy a German company working on a vaccine in order to get exclusive access http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

Most people agree that health-care workers on the front lines should get first dibs on a vaccine. But after that, nothing is clear.

Should pregnant people get priority?
The elderly?
Essential workers? If so, who are they? http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

These dilemmas will look trivial next to the biggest showdown: Scientific rationality vs conspiracy theories.

Early in the pandemic, there were hopes that the anti-vaxxer movement might become untenable and fizzle out. Instead, it’s booming http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

Humans have always spun conspiracy theories, especially during times of calamity.

So it’s no surprise that the pandemic has been accompanied by an “infodemic” http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

One fake YouTube video claimed that a vaccine would kill millions.

It was viewed more than 7 million times before it was taken down http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

Conspiracy theories have already led to anti-vaxxers refusing to get shots against measles, compromising herd immunity and causing new outbreaks.

The same could happen with a coronavirus vaccine http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

The threshold for herd immunity is estimated to be somewhere between 55% and 82% of the population.

Yet only 50% of Americans say they’d get vaccinated for Covid-19 http://trib.al/vKDf39c 

So the time for coronavirus statecraft and education is now, before the vaccine arrives:

Develop multilateral vaccine solutions
Have the debate about who has priority
Teach people to distinguish between facts and fake news http://trib.al/vKDf39c