Canada agrees to take part in WTO talks to waive patent protections on vaccines
by Cormac Mac Sweeney, Hana Mae Nassar, and The Canadian Press
Posted May 6, 2021 9:56 am PDT
Last Updated May 6, 2021 at 4:34 pm PDT
Syringes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sit in a tray in a vaccination room at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Summary
U.S. on Wednesday announced it was backing push to waive IP protections for COVID vaccines
Waiving patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines would mean countries could start making generic versions of the shots
Charities, advocates say they hope Canada will land on the right side of history