Waiving Patents On Covid-19 Vaccines Isnât Enough To Speed Up Production
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With more than 153 million cases and 3 million deaths worldwide, very few countries have been spared the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic. But when it comes to vaccinationâone of the most important public health tools to combat this crisisâthere is a stark divide. High-income countries have secured 4.9 billion doses, while low- and middle-income countries, which make up nearly 85% of the worldâs population, hold less than 3 billion doses combined, according to a Duke University tracker.
On Wednesday, diplomats at the World Trade Organization are slated to discuss a proposal led by the India and South Africa delegations that would waive certain intellectual property rights related to Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics, with the aim of speeding up access and affordability across the globe. The proposal was first introduced in October 2020, but has been blocked twice so far. Advocates say that waiving these rights are essential to combating the pandemic. âIf the U.S. and Europe hadn't said no to the waiver when India and South Africa first proposed it last year, we would be in a different world,â argues Madhavi Sunder, a professor of law at Georgetown University. âThese six months have cost so many lives. We would have had much more massive global production of these vaccines.â