The U.S. is stockpiling them because AstraZeneca might get approval and then they can use them. They are hedging their bets. It's a sensible policy.
> Not a measly 4 million doses.
Sure, maybe we should just take them back then?
> What could have EU done to be in a better position that would not have screwed over almost the entire rest of the world.
The E.U. has shipped like 34 million vaccines [1]. Why are people abroad more important than its own citizens?
But let's not sit here and pretend that the E.U. is saving the world here with this number of vaccines. For every elderly person they vaccinate in some other country, it's one elderly or at-risk person in the E.U. who isn't getting vaccinated.
At the end of the day it'll be the U.S. and U.K. (and maybe Israel) who will be vaccinating much of the world.
"Italy was able to block the shipment to Australia last week under a new emergency rule that allows any E.U. member to halt exports of the vaccines produced in the bloc." [2]
As I said - the E.U. is going to be in hot water over this and it's going to severely test the resolve of the union to stay together. Sending those 34 million doses out instead of vaccinating E.U. citizens is ammo for nationalists and far-right sympathizers.
> But here we are now, blaming the only one who is keeping Canadians (and other non-superpower nations) alive.
I'm not blaming anyone. You're blaming the U.S. and U.K. for protecting their citizens first and foremost.
> What could have EU done to be in a better position that would not have screwed over almost the entire rest of the world.
Beats me. The U.S. is going to wind up shipping more vaccines to other countries than any other country. Watch and see.
[1] [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/world/europe/eu-exports-c...