Deborah Berger, president of National Nurses United, speaks during a news conference on March 5, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Mar 10, 2020
Speaking at a coronavirus roundtable in Detroit Monday alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and public health experts, registered nurse Deborah Burger forcefully shot down a question on how the United States can afford to make any COVID-19 vaccine free for everyone in the country, noting that no one asks that question of other vaccines or America's endless wars overseas.
Burger, president of National Nurses United (NNU), pointed out that "nobody asked how you pay for" the Polio vaccine "because what they saw were children in iron lungs that were going to be damaged forever."
"How insane and cruel is it," Burger continued, "to suggest that we have to figure out how to pay for it when we can actually go to war and not ask one question, but to prevent this kind of a disease, we have to say, 'How can we pay for it?'"
Watch:
\u201chere is the video\u201d— Georgia Parke (@Georgia Parke) 1583789580
Sanders, who is pressuring the Trump administration to make any coronavirus vaccine free and available to all, also weighed in on the pay-for question.
"Do I approve of [the U.S. government] spending a few cents for a vaccine rather than seeing people die or spending thousands of dollars on hospital care? Yeah, I kinda think it makes a little bit more sense to invest a few cents in a vaccine," Sanders said.
"Does anybody in their right mind believe that if you're rich you should be able to afford a vaccine and save your life but if you're poor you gotta die?" Sanders asked. "Is that really where we're at in the United States of America?"
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Speaking at a coronavirus roundtable in Detroit Monday alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and public health experts, registered nurse Deborah Burger forcefully shot down a question on how the United States can afford to make any COVID-19 vaccine free for everyone in the country, noting that no one asks that question of other vaccines or America's endless wars overseas.
Burger, president of National Nurses United (NNU), pointed out that "nobody asked how you pay for" the Polio vaccine "because what they saw were children in iron lungs that were going to be damaged forever."
"How insane and cruel is it," Burger continued, "to suggest that we have to figure out how to pay for it when we can actually go to war and not ask one question, but to prevent this kind of a disease, we have to say, 'How can we pay for it?'"
Watch:
\u201chere is the video\u201d— Georgia Parke (@Georgia Parke) 1583789580
Sanders, who is pressuring the Trump administration to make any coronavirus vaccine free and available to all, also weighed in on the pay-for question.
"Do I approve of [the U.S. government] spending a few cents for a vaccine rather than seeing people die or spending thousands of dollars on hospital care? Yeah, I kinda think it makes a little bit more sense to invest a few cents in a vaccine," Sanders said.
"Does anybody in their right mind believe that if you're rich you should be able to afford a vaccine and save your life but if you're poor you gotta die?" Sanders asked. "Is that really where we're at in the United States of America?"
Speaking at a coronavirus roundtable in Detroit Monday alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and public health experts, registered nurse Deborah Burger forcefully shot down a question on how the United States can afford to make any COVID-19 vaccine free for everyone in the country, noting that no one asks that question of other vaccines or America's endless wars overseas.
Burger, president of National Nurses United (NNU), pointed out that "nobody asked how you pay for" the Polio vaccine "because what they saw were children in iron lungs that were going to be damaged forever."
"How insane and cruel is it," Burger continued, "to suggest that we have to figure out how to pay for it when we can actually go to war and not ask one question, but to prevent this kind of a disease, we have to say, 'How can we pay for it?'"
Watch:
\u201chere is the video\u201d— Georgia Parke (@Georgia Parke) 1583789580
Sanders, who is pressuring the Trump administration to make any coronavirus vaccine free and available to all, also weighed in on the pay-for question.
"Do I approve of [the U.S. government] spending a few cents for a vaccine rather than seeing people die or spending thousands of dollars on hospital care? Yeah, I kinda think it makes a little bit more sense to invest a few cents in a vaccine," Sanders said.
"Does anybody in their right mind believe that if you're rich you should be able to afford a vaccine and save your life but if you're poor you gotta die?" Sanders asked. "Is that really where we're at in the United States of America?"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.