Would You Patent the Sun? Polio Vaccine Inventor Jonas Salk’s Son Urges More Access to COVID Vaccine

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. is set to top 400,000 before Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, but rollout of coronavirus vaccines has been slow, with many describing a vexing amount of red tape standing between them and the shot. We look at the development and distribution of another vaccine during the polio epidemic in the 1950s with Dr. Peter Salk, a physician and professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh, whose father, Dr. Jonas Salk, developed the first polio vaccine and famously declined to patent his invention. “The rest of the world and the countries that are less able to afford vaccines need consideration, as well,” says Dr. Salk. “There needs to be a creative cooperation among all of us, including the businesses, in order to find ways to satisfy the needs of these other countries.”

#DemocracyNow



FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:

[nortonnewmann]

The unarguable difference between socialized medicine and Capitalist controlled medicine is public health vs profit at all costs.

[everythingmatters]

His father also lived in a real world where businesses needed to make money. His father didn't make excuses to not do the right thing.

[scasey]

Under neo liberalism - it’s all about the money. Jonas Salk was from another time. Today, healthcare is not a right but a privilege.

[buridah]

The world is in debt to this man’s father and his team. He saved countless lives.

[tealefti]

"Would You Patent the Sun?"

Capitalists: "The fucking sun in a rentier economy? Hell yea LMAO"

[Aikidragon_Prime]

I have a solution. The health of Humanity shouldn't be up for profit, as it is now.

[dav]

Great piece here Amy, thank you for your work.

[yarajamal]

I was watching the video and crying! How beautiful human being and scientist!

[GUILLOTINE_GANG]

Any one else feel like OG Salk is rolling in his grave listening to his weaselly son trying to justify the actions of big pharmaceutical companies?

[samroxeva]

"Would you patent the sun?"

1950:"No."
2020:"What would me returns be?"

[danyellerobinson]

Salk stood before Congress in 1986 and told us of the dangers of the oral polio. He knew that honest was imperative to public trust.

[benlipinski]

Thank you for actually asking the technical question. Hearing Dr. Salk describe the progression of vaccine science with such eloquence showed me why I always look to Democracy Now.

[iversonmatthew]

In America, we do everything for profit. Profit is greater than human life here. We even make our sick people beg for their medical care.… Because profits.

[leitregjok]

Capitalists giving up the opportunity to profit from a global event like this? 😂😂

[Lee-ish]

Anyone of a certain age remembers kids in school who had caught polio.
I worked with a guy who had a withered arm as a result.
Shame antivaxers cant be taken back to the days of the iron lungs
and wheel chairs.

[BirdGang]

His father is one of the greatest men to ever exist!

[davidhutchinson]

Dr. Salk has his picture in the dictionary next to the word, HERO.

[theresamcmullen]

Now I can agree to treatment. Thank you Democracy Now ! And Dr. Salk !

[smilo_don]

I thought the ignorance in this comment section was chocking until I realized most here are from a country that uses the bible as a text book in school.

[zelda]

If, as Dr. P. Salk said in a preceding statement (and he seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the tech), new genetic technologies exist for making vaccines much faster, why was he initially concerned that the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 was being rushed? I'd love to have a vaccine, and of course new technologies (can be) beneficial, but this still seems rushed, re: safety, efficacy, etc. standards, and I can't say I trust pharmaceutical companies that stand to make so much money...