AROUND the world, nation states are scrambling to ensure their own supplies of COVID-19 vaccine.
Last year, when Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other world leaders announced to their respective populations that contracts had been signed to secure suitable numbers of coronavirus vaccine injections, it appeared as though a major corner had been turned, and that COVID-19 would greatly diminish as a global threat, and sooner, rather than later.
Now, as the virus continues to mutate, and the inevitable difficulties that were always going to accompany a manufacturing task of such scale make themselves felt, governments are throwing their weight around, diplomatically, in the name of protecting their citizens.
CORONAVIRUS SNAPSHOT:
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Australia's CSL - the stockmarket-listed biotech that began as the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories - is one of the manufacturers involved in global vaccine supply.
Eyebrows were raised in Canberra last week when the company wrote to a Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, saying it was too busy to appear at a hearing.
Given what's at stake, it's hardly surprising that tensions are running high. Australia, as a nation, does not want to be left behind when it comes to coronavirus protection.
At the same time, we need to remember that our success in keeping COVID-19 at bay means that our need for vaccines is arguably less than those countries where hundreds - and in some cases thousands - of people are dying each day.
Globally, daily coronavirus infections have been in steady decline since they peaked on January 7 at more than 850,000, and are now down to about 600,000 a day.
Deaths, unfortunately, have shown no such retreat, with COVID-related fatalities running at about 15,000 people a day, despite the significant improvements in patient care born of the experiences of the past year.
Australia's vaccinations will be free, and distributed through hospital hubs, including John Hunter Hospital, and by vaccination teams, and through GPs and pharmacies.
Mr Morrison said yesterday that the aim was to have all Australians vaccinated by October.
World events could yet impact on that target. Maintaining the vigilance of 2020 throughout 2021 is our best means of making through to the increased safety of vaccination, more or less in one piece.
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