Abstract:

The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. Some aspects have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analyzed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout have changed the situation.
At the same time, the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly, the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.