Poor countries will miss out on Covid vaccines as wealthier nations rack up doses, activists warn – NBC 7 San Diego

• The People’s Vaccine Alliance said rich nations had purchased enough doses to vaccinate their entire population nearly three times by the end of 2021.
• By contrast, nearly 70 lower-income countries will only be able to vaccinate one in 10 people against coronavirus next year.
• “Vaccine hoarding actively undermines global efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can be protected from COVID-19,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s chief of economic and social justice, said in a statement.

LONDON – A coalition of campaigning agencies has warned that people in low-income countries are likely to miss out on a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine in the coming years, accusing wealthier nations of “hoarding” more doses of injections of Covid-19 of which they need.

The People’s Vaccine Alliance, an organization that includes Amnesty International, Global Justice Now and Oxfam, said rich nations had purchased enough doses to vaccinate their entire population almost three times before the end of 2021.

Canada tops the list with enough doses to vaccinate every citizen five times, the group said. By contrast, nearly 70 lower-income countries will only be able to vaccinate one in 10 people against coronavirus next year.

Reuters reported last month, citing three anonymous sources, that Canada was in talks with other governments about a plan to donate some doses of Covid-19 to lower-income countries.

The People’s Vaccine Alliance cited data compiled by scientific information and analysis company Airfinity to analyze agreements made between countries and the top eight coronavirus vaccine candidates. The group said it assumed that all coronavirus vaccines currently in clinical trials are approved for use.

“No one should be prevented from receiving a life-saving vaccine because of the country they live in or the amount of money in their pocket,” Anna Marriott, Oxfam’s health policy manager, said in a statement.

“But unless something drastically changes, billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 in the next few years.”

Rich countries ‘violate’ human rights obligations

The report comes at a time when many hope that a mass vaccination program can help end the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 1.56 million lives worldwide.

However, a global battle to secure potential Covid-19 vaccine supplies has raised the alarm about equitable access, while questions persist about logistics, distribution, and, perhaps most significantly, cost.

The UK released the first coronavirus vaccines to the public on Tuesday, and Margaret Keenan, 90, made history as the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside of test conditions. The vaccine was approved by the UK’s drug regulator last week and is likely to receive approval from other countries in the coming days.

Two other potential vaccine candidates, from Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca, are expected to submit data to regulators or are awaiting approval.

The People’s Vaccine Alliance said that wealthy nations representing only 14% of the world’s population had purchased 53% of all promising vaccines so far.

To date, the alliance said that all doses of Moderna and 96% of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had been purchased by rich countries. In what it described as a “welcome contrast,” Oxford-AstraZeneca has committed to providing 64% of its doses to people in developing countries.

“Vaccine hoarding actively undermines global efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can be protected against COVID-19. Rich countries have clear human rights obligations not only to refrain from actions that may harm access. to vaccines elsewhere, but also to cooperate and provide assistance to countries that need it, “said Steve Cockburn, director of economic and social justice at Amnesty International, in a statement.

“By purchasing the vast majority of the world’s vaccine supply, rich countries are failing to meet their human rights obligations. Instead, by working with others to share knowledge and expand supply, they could help end the global COVID-19 crisis. “he added.