The EU, UK, US, and others have for months been blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver at the World Trade Organization.

They are trying to fight a global pandemic while deliberately limiting vaccine supplies.

Madness.
Only 2.7% of the world is fully vaccinated;

83% of shots administered in high- & upper-middle-income countries;

Only 0.2% in low-income ones.

Too slow. Too uneven.

We need to beat vaccine scarcity with greater production.

nytimes.com/interactive/20…

ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinat…
🌍 Global pandemic.

🌍 Global vaccine shortages.

🌍 Time for global solutions.

Read more…

On how we got here: nytimes.com/2021/03/21/wor…

On why the rollout is too slow for everyone: oxfam.org/en/press-relea…

On why we need a rights-based approach: hrw.org/news/2021/03/0…
Even before the vast majority of the world has received a single jab, the pharma companies & rich governments are saying we will likely need boosters & new vaccines to meet emerging new variants that are resistant to current vaccines:
cnbc.com/2021/04/15/pfi…

2 consequences…
First, if 3rd-shot boosters of the current vaccine become necessary, it will mean that the "vaccine nationalism" of rich countries fighting each other for scarce doses will continue...

...and most countries of the world will continue to get nothing or not enough.
The COVAX facility may help get 20% of some poorer countries' doses, but that's not nearly herd immunity level (thought to be 70% at least). Plus, more money doesn't help if there are no doses to buy because of the enforced scarcity.

Thread on that:
Second, just step back & think about it: where would these new variants emerge? Most likely in the bodies of those of us who haven't been vaccinated because we can't get vaccines - that is, the vast majority of the world.

It's only a matter of time:
oxfam.org/en/press-relea…
So:

a) Rich govts blocking wider production of vaccines globally;

b) Thus vaccine scarcity;

c) Vaccine rollout takes longer;

d) More time means more deaths & more chances for new variants to emerge that resist current vaccines;

e) We then need new vaccines. Return to a)
As long as global vaccine production is artificially throttled like this, we'll be in an endless, deadly circle.
With limited vaccine production, we're in a deadly "Red Queen's race" à la Lewis Carroll...

“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place."

The truth is, "If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
The EU, UK, US & other government need to stop blocking wider vaccine production globally.

The #TRIPSwaiver is backed by…

100+ governments: reliefweb.int/report/world/o…

NGOs: peoplesvaccine.org

Past presidents & prime ministers, Nobel laureates: project-syndicate.org/commentary/pre…
#TRIPSwaiver also backed by:

Medical experts: thelancet.com/journals/lance…

The head of the World Health Organization: theguardian.com/world/2021/mar…

Hundreds of European lawmakers: hrw.org/news/2021/03/2…

US lawmakers: thehill.com/policy/healthc…

Trade unions: etuc.org/en/document/le…
"At this rate, it might take many years for low- & middle-income countries to reach a high level of vaccine coverage. Without widespread vaccination, many more people will die & the world simply cannot end this global crisis."
naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/posts/10-reaso…

#PeoplesVaccine
The EU, UK, US & other governments should stop blocking wider vaccine production globally.

📢 EU citizens: SIGN this official Citizens' Initiative!

📢 Everyone: Please SHARE it!

🌍 And share in other languages - the page has all EU languages.

➡️ noprofitonpandemic.eu

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More from @astroehlein

22 Apr
🇪🇺 Dear EU Citizens,

🇬🇧 Dear UK Citizens,

🇺🇸 Dear US Citizens,

🇦🇺 Dear Australian Citizens,

Do you want a longer pandemic?

No, of course not.

But your governments, by blocking wider production of vaccines globally, are prolonging the pandemic.
hrw.org/news/2021/03/0… Image
By blocking wider production of vaccines globally, these governments are prolonging the global pandemic, meaning:

⬛️ more death;

⬛️ more economic disruption;

⬛️ more chance for new variants to emerge that are more virulent, more deadly and/or resistant to current vaccines.
This is not an accident.

This is not something they don't know about.

These governments understand all this.

They have made this deliberate policy choice anyway.

And more of us will die because of it.
Read 21 tweets
20 Apr
A wonderful donation from the always inspirational @gretathunberg.

COVAX has a key role to play in ensuring vaccines are available & affordable for all.

But COVAX won’t solve the global pandemic on its own.

A thread…

tl;dr: Money doesn’t solve scarcity caused by monopoly
First, what is COVAX? In short, it’s a global vaccine procurement facility.

It is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Read more here: gavi.org/sites/default/…
The EU, US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Japan, and several other governments have pledged and donated billions to COVAX. This is, of course, welcome news. The money will will subsidise the vaccine bills for 92 low-income governments.

But...
Read 20 tweets
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
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…
Read 16 tweets
18 Apr
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.
Read 5 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

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