Vaccination Portraits as Political Theater During the Pandemic

Vaccination events have emerged as a new visual strategy during the pandemic, enabling politicians to convey uplifting messages. In the UK, William Shakespeare became the inaugural recipient of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while Margaret Keenan was the first woman worldwide to receive it outside of clinical trials. Last month, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was photographed getting his second dose without a shirt. The Russian Sputnik V vaccine evokes Cold War connotations. In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro minimized the severity of COVID-19 and rejected the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. Amidst over 236,000 fatalities, Governor João Doria obtained 4.6 million doses of Sinovac, with nurse Monica Calazans being the first to be vaccinated. In the US, Sandra Lindsay, the first American to receive the vaccine, was present at Joe Biden's inauguration. Disparities remain, as affluent individuals find ways to bypass vaccination protocols.