Thread by @astroehlein, You can argue that, in normal times, patent rules are essential. But [...]

Andrew Stroehlein

astroehlein

You can argue that, in normal times, patent rules are essential.

But a global pandemic is not normal times.

We need the #TRIPSwaiver

Over US$12bn (€10bn) in public money was given to private companies, but the world still has a severe vaccine shortage.

Less than 3% of the world has been vaccinated.

90% of people in the world's poorest countries will go without a vaccine this year.
https://euobserver.com/opinion/151650

3% vaccinated...

Experts estimate that at least 70% is needed for herd immunity.

Global vaccination is going too slowly...

...because of vaccine shortages...

...caused by low production capacity.

The willingness of some in the richer countries to simply accept that it may take years for low- & middle-income countries to get vaccines shows a moral failure beyond words...

And the prejudice is so entrenched, it is blinding some people even to their own self-interest.

It's a willingness to sacrifice others, a long-worn pattern of "me first" thinking in the "developed world".

Many in rich countries are so used to disregarding the needs & rights of others elsewhere, that they can't see how this time, that attitude is dangerous even for them.

Some who get vaccinated say, "I'm alright, Jack."

But, chances are, you're not alright.

A longer global pandemic means:

Years of more death...

Years of more economic disruption...

Years of more opportunity for new variants of the virus to emerge that are more deadly, more virulent, and/or resistant to the current vaccines...

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/two-thirds-epidemiologists-warn-mutations-could-render-current-covid-vaccines

A longer global pandemic means: Years of more death... Years of more economic disruption... Years of more opportunity for new variants of the virus to emerge that are more deadly, more virulent, and/or resistant to the current vaccines... https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/two-thirds-epidemiologists-warn-mutations-could-render-current-covid-vaccines

All of us - everyone in the world - faces greater risk the longer the global pandemic continues.

And all of us know that the core of the problem currently is global vaccine scarcity.

We need more vaccine production capacity globally.

Yet, some governments are preventing it.

The governments in the EU, UK, US, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Switzerland, Norway, etc are blocking wider production of vaccines globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver at the WTO.

They are literally, and deliberately, prolonging the global pandemic for all of us.

When the proposal for the #TRIPSwaiver was formally put forward at the WTO in October, over 1 million of us had already died from COVID-19.

Now - after 6 months of the EU, UK, US & others blocking the idea - the death toll is over 3 million.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/11/rights-key-tackle-corruption-inequity-vaccine-access