As death rates from coronavirus rise, so do those frequent concomitants of calamity: protectionism and zero-sum struggles for advantage. Scrambling to obtain vital medical equipment from ventilators to face masks, several countries or regions have alleged shipments destined for them were mysteriously diverted elsewhere — mostly to the US. The White House has denied “piracy”, insisting instead it is trying to clamp down on it. Some US state governors have accused foreign governments of similar skulduggery. Evidence is often murky. Ensuring life-saving equipment gets to where it is needed, however, could hardly be more important.
新冠病毒致死人數不斷上升，災難通常的伴生品亦然，那就是保護主義，以及搶佔先機的「零和」鬥爭。在各國爭相採購呼吸機、口罩等重要醫療物資之際，一些國家和地區指責，原本要運往本國或本地區的貨物被莫名其妙地轉運至其他地方——多數爲美國。白宮否認有「海盜行爲」，並堅稱其就在設法打擊這種行爲。美國一些州長指責外國政府有類似的手法。但證據往往含混不清。然而，確保救命物資能順利運到需要的地方比什麼都重要。