Gonna explain what's happening in the Philippines rn. We're hitting 10-12k cases a day. We do not have enough vaccines for frontliners & elderly because pharma cos prioritized Western countries & @BillGates refused to let others manufacture the vax to ease workload. We're dying. https://twitter.com/jenmacramos/status/1381740427863224321

The problem is also that very few people in those same Western countries care that we are dying.

Some hospitals here have as many as 20 ambulances lined outside, each with 1-3 patients on oxygen tanks because there are no more beds inside. So many have died waiting in line.

I can personally attest that parents of friends of mine had to be rushed to hospitals outside of the city, 3-5 hour rides just to find a hospital with an available bed. Some of them didn't even make it.

The lack of a vaccine supply and Phil. government incompetence is to blame.

It's corruption on the local level when people like Harry Roque Jr, Presidential spokesperson who had violated covid-19 protocols and refused to wear a face mask, was admitted easily to a hospital when he contracted covid while others who had waited longer did not.

It's also corruption on an international level when people like @BillGates refuse to waive patent protection rights to enable others to increase the vaccine supply, simply because that is how he has always made his money. His wealth increased during the pandemic.

Even when private companies can now pay for vaccines for their employees, this is not a solution. Many here cannot afford to pay vaccines even at cost - pharma won't sell to individuals (I reached out, hoping to spearhead an org for this, but they only want private companies)

There is very little that most people reading this can do, I know. But at least help us spread the word because Southeast Asian, Indian, and African countries in particular are suffering from this.

And I've said this before: for the love of whatever god you know, at LEAST take your vaccines and schedule an appointment when you can, and convince family and friends to do the same. AT LEAST limit the number of potential covid cases on your behalf, if you refuse to do so for us

How else can you help? I sincerely don't know. I WOULD like countries who have vaccinated most of their citizens with an outstanding oversupply of vax to consider donating them to countries without, to start. But how many of their citizens would even be willing to call for this?