PW Podcast: U.S. imperialism hinders Cuban COVID-19 vaccine

While the U.S. remains mired in mass infection and death, socialist Cuba is making gains in the fight against COVID-19, despite the U.S. blockade. Writer Alan MacLeod and his colleagues at Mint Press News are part of the effort to bring the truth about Cuba's coronavirus fight to the rest of the world. The cartoon at top left is by MacLeod's colleague Carlos Latuff. In the photo at right, a Cuban health worker collects a sample for a COVID-19 test from a girl in Havana, Nov. 15, 2020. Children her age are returning to school in Cuba this month for the first time since the pandemic began. In the photo at center, a girl in a Havana classroom raises her hand to answer a question from a teacher. Children have been provided PPE for their return to school. | Cartoon: Mint Press News / Photos: AP

Beyond the Page is a companion podcast to the award-winning publication People’s World. With every episode, we’ll take you deeper into the topics covered at PeoplesWorld.org. Our program brings you in-depth interviews with journalists and activists on the most pressing stories in progressive politics, labor, and the struggle for socialism in the United States.

The United States has now surpassed a quarter of a million deaths due to COVID-19. It has become number one in all the wrong ways. While the response to the pandemic by U.S. government officials has been disjointed and politicized, there are other areas in the world that have fared better—socialist Cuba among them. What could be some of the reason for the drastically different outcomes between the two countries? And is U.S. imperialism standing in the way of a working vaccine for millions through its continued sanctions against the small island nation?

In this episode of Beyond the Page, we dive into that topic with guest Alan MacLeod. He is a Senior Staff Writer at Mint Press News, along with being the author of the books Bad News from Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. MacLeod’s recently published article, “Cuba Could be on the Brink of a Revolutionary COVID Vaccine, But US Sanctions Are Slowing It Down,” tackles the ways in which the capitalist ideology of profits over people in the U.S. is standing in the way of medical progress in fighting COVID-19, and why the blockade against Cuba is hindering not only that island nation but the entire world.

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CONTRIBUTOR

Chauncey K. Robinson

Chauncey K. Robinson is an award winning journalist and film critic. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, she has a strong love for storytelling and history. She believes narrative greatly influences the way we see the world, which is why she's all about dissecting and analyzing stories and culture to help inform and empower the people.

Matt Bernico

Matt Bernico is an independent researcher, journalist, and organizer in the Fight for $15. He has a Ph.D. in Media Communication from the European Graduate School. His primary research interests are at the intersections of religion, politics, and technology. You can hear more from him on the podcasts he co-hosts, "The Magnificast" and "Beyond the Page."