How Biden Can Act Now to Ensure Covid-19 Vaccine as a Public Good

@POTUS has it within his power to guarantee equitable access to the Covid-19 vaccines globally. With cases surging in India, he shouldn’t wait.
@Chicks_Balances and I write for
@thenation https://www.thenation.com/article/world/covid-india-astrazeneca-vaccine/

. @POTUS announced that the US would ship its stockpile of millions of Astrazeneca doses overseas to help... “as the doses become available.” It remains unclear when these doses will become available, and the Biden administration has yet to decide where these vaccines will go.

While Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi government has continued to downplay the extent of the devastation, the ground reports tell a story of death, chaos, and a collapsing health care system.

The crisis unfolding in India will have global ramifications. And so it needs a global approach that dismantles existing patent regimes and listens to the concerns and policy redressals recommended by India, South Africa, and other countries facing vaccine scarcities.

The only way to create equitable access is to declare Covid-19 vaccines a global public good and make this an accessible people’s vaccine by breaking the existing patent regimes, mass production of vaccines, and rapid distribution.

In addition to its being the right thing to do, it’s crucial to remember that pharmaceutical giants received vast public investments to develop and produce the vaccines.

There are immediate steps that the Biden administration can take towards this goal.
1. RENEGOTIATE VACCINE CONTRACTS THAT PROHIBIT THE US FROM SHARING SURPLUS VACCINES WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

2. DONATE OR “LOAN” ASTRA-ZENECA, NOVOVAX, AND SANOFI SURPLUS TO COUNTRIES IN WHICH IT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED FOR USE.

3. PERMANENTLY REMOVE/REPEAL DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT (DPA) EXPORT RESTRICTIONS ON RAW MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COVID-19 VACCINES ABROAD.

4. WAIVE—AND EVENTUALLY DISMANTLE—WTO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RULES FOR VACCINES.