In the scramble for vaccines, distribution ran through complex and maddening loops. Delays incited rioting, looting, violence. It didn’t matter, as the vaccines proved as ineffective as the fraudulent cures selling briskly on the Internet. Across the globe, heads of state urged calm and called for order, promised assistance, spoke of policies. Schools closed, countless businesses locked their doors as people were urged to limit contact with others. The sale of surgical masks, gloves, over-the-counter and prescription flu remedies, bleach, and disinfectants soared.
