Vacillating vaccines: responses to Covid-19 in the United States and South Africa

Abstract

This article examines the internal pathways of disease transfer within two settler colonies, the United States and South Africa, whilst also considering points of transnational connection in the social, political, epidemiological, religious and cultural responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in these societies. Of particular interest in these case studies are the ways in which alternative responses to the pandemic have unfolded alongside orthodox biomedical interventions, along with their associated effects. These include conspiratorial QAnon claims and their effects on vaccine uptake, the vagaries of ingesting equine medicines and the broader landscapes within which decisions are undertaken regarding lockdowns, re-openings and vaccine hesitancy. Given the limitations on research by participant observation during the pandemic, the evidence for this study was gathered via a combination of analysis of popular culture, which was conducted by a press review, and engagement with the broader historical context within which these dynamics were unfolding.