Worldwide Covid deaths now over 3 million: worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Limited vaccine supplies mean jabs going too slowly, given rate of new variants emerging: theguardian.com/world/2021/mar…

Yet some governments still blocking wider vaccine production globally: hrw.org/news/2021/03/0…
How did we get here? How could these governments have adopted a policy that prolongs the pandemic?

This NY Times article is a good primer on this sorry tale:
nytimes.com/2021/03/21/wor…
These governments have spent months fighting with each other over short supplies of vaccines.

Meanwhile, most countries have yet to see a single dose.

Vaccine nationalism may be good clickbait for media, but it's terrible for public health.
The most immoral and the most inefficient way to approach a global pandemic is by pretending it's a national problem with a national solution.
These governments fell into the exact trap that we (and many others) warned them against: prioritising profits over human lives.
hrw.org/news/2020/10/1…

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More from @astroehlein

19 Apr
Interesting...

EU foreign policy chief Borrell tweeted support for waiving some intellectual property rules to scale up vaccine production globally.

Then someone at EU message control must've told him that EU policy is to block that waiver & wider production, so he deleted it Image
So, there are smart EU decision makers who understand the problem of vaccine scarcity & the need to ramp up production worldwide through the #TRIPSwaiver.

Sadly, other EU decision makers - those who want to boost pharma profits & have a longer pandemic - are on top right now.
Here's the link that EU foreign policy chief Borrell tweeted & then deleted: it's a call for a #PeoplesVaccine from scores of former presidents & prime ministers, and Nobel laureates.

This is the link that EU message control doesn't want you to see.

project-syndicate.org/commentary/pre… ImageImageImageImage
Read 14 tweets
16 Apr
So, a 3rd shot will be needed?
cnbc.com/2021/04/15/pfi…

So, rich governments will keep fighting over short supplies…

And most of the world will continue to have nothing…

Yet, the EU, UK, US & others keep blocking wider vaccine production globally:
hrw.org/news/2021/03/0…
The future is annual shots?

But there's no capacity to produce so many shots that quickly globally.

So billions of people will never get the latest jab - and be a source of newer variants…

And we'll need newer shots for newer variants…

Forever?

Who benefits from that?
This is exactly what experts have been warning against:
oxfam.org/en/press-relea…

And exactly why vaccine equity matters - for everyone:
hrw.org/news/2021/04/0…

#PeoplesVaccine
Read 4 tweets
16 Apr
Amid worldwide vaccine shortages, everyone can agree we need expanded vaccine production globally to tackle the global pandemic...

Everyone except the governments that are currently blocking it...

hrw.org/news/2021/03/0…
Fewer than 600 million vaccine doses have been administered around the world (population ~8 billion);

75% of those in just 10 mostly high-income countries;

Most countries have yet to administer a single dose.

The killer virus is laughing at us.

who.int/director-gener…
Read 4 tweets
15 Apr
I see some people tweeting about getting vaccinated or enjoying something for the first time again after lockdowns.

Could I suggest a bit of care with such tweets, please?

Don't forget the billions of people who are not so lucky, many of whom won't see a jab for years.
It's fine to express joy and relief, of course, but maybe just also spare a thought (and a tweet) for the vast majority of people in the world who have been utterly screwed over by the policy of the EU, UK, US & other rich governments to block wider vaccine production globally.
If you're in the EU, share this article about how the EU is blocking wider vaccine production globally: hrw.org/news/2021/03/2…

And sign & share this official European Citizens' Initiative to force leaders to act: noprofitonpandemic.eu
Read 5 tweets
14 Apr
"There are many steps that can be taken to ramp up vaccine production and broaden distribution. These include… temporarily waiving intellectual property barriers..."

February 2021

World leaders have wasted 2 months since then...

foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/02/vac… Image
"this is not the beginning of the end; it is only the beginning of an endless wait: There aren’t enough vaccines to go around in the richest countries, let alone the poorest ones."

December 2020

World leaders have wasted 4 months since then...

nytimes.com/2020/12/07/opi… Image
"Governments should support India and South Africa’s proposal to waive some aspects of global intellectual property (IP) rules to enable large-scale manufacturing" - @hrw

October 2020

World leaders have wasted 6 months since then...

hrw.org/news/2020/10/2… Image
Read 8 tweets
14 Apr
Fewer than 600 million vaccine doses have been administered around the world (population ~8 billion);

75% of those in just 10 mostly high-income countries;

Some 130 countries containing 2.5 billion people have yet to administer a single dose.

newrepublic.com/article/162000… Image
Some may be tempted to say: well, it will just take time...

But a longer pandemic means:

⬛️ more death;

⬛️ more economic disruption;

⬛️ more chance for more dangerous variants to emerge.

bit.ly/3uPgXjv Image
But a longer pandemic was not somehow inevitable.

It was a deliberate policy choice.

By blocking wider production of vaccines worldwide at the WTO, the EU, UK, US & others have knowingly decided to prolong the pandemic.

They know the consequences.
hrw.org/news/2021/03/0… Image
Read 8 tweets

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