‘Rich nations blocking poorer countries to get vaccines quickly’


SM Najmus Sakib | Published: March 10, 2021 16:53:42 | Updated: March 10, 2021 19:43:08


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Rich nations have been blocking proposals for poorer countries to get vaccines in a quick manner resulting in the majority of the poorest nations failing to avail a single vaccine dose, said a new report.

Meanwhile, the scenario for rich countries is quite opposite as rich nations are vaccinating one person every second, it showed.

“One year on from the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, the People’s Vaccine Alliance is warning that developing countries are facing critical shortages of oxygen and medical supplies to cope with Covid-19 cases yet the majority have been unable to administer a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.”

“In contrast, rich nations have vaccinated their citizens at a rate of one person per second over the last month,” said the report on Wednesday prepared by Oxfam marking the first anniversary of the declaration of the Covid-19 as Pandemic.

Many of these rich nations, including the US, UK and EU, are blocking a proposal by over 100 developing countries to be discussed at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Wednesday.

It would override the monopolies held by pharmaceutical companies and allow an urgently needed scale up in the production of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines to ensure poorer countries get access to the doses they desperately need, the report said.

While more poor countries will see the arrival of doses in the coming days from the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility, the amounts available mean only three per cent of people in those countries can hope to be vaccinated by mid-year and only one fifth at best by the end of 2021, it continued.

Recent public opinion polls carried out by YouGov for the Alliance in the US, France, Germany and the UK found that on average, across these countries, more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of people thought that governments should ensure vaccine science.

And, the know-how is shared with qualified manufacturers around the world rather than remaining the exclusive property of a handful of pharmaceutical giants and those vaccine developers should be adequately compensated for this, the opinion read.

Oxfam International’s Executive Director, Gabriela Bucher said: “By allowing a small group of pharmaceutical companies to decide who lives and who dies, rich nations are prolonging this unprecedented global health emergency and putting countless more lives on the line. At this crucial time, developing countries need support – not opposition”.

On  March 10 to 11, more than 100 developing countries, led by South Africa and India will again make the case at the WTO for a waiver of Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS).

It would remove legal barriers for more countries and manufacturers to produce the vaccine, protect their people and join the economic recovery ahead.

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, one of the leaders of the People’s Vaccine Alliance said: “We should act now. There is no going back. It is totally unfair that rich countries, who have enough vaccines to protect their citizens, are blocking the TRIPS waiver, which could help poorer countries get the vaccines they need.”

To control the virus, enough doses of vaccines need to be produced in different geographies, priced affordably, allocated globally and widely deployed for free in local communities. Thus far, the world is failing on all four fronts, said Oxfam. 

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