Thread by @MonicaGandhi9

An Open Letter to the Biden Administration and Congress from multiple public health/global health academic leaders in US on "Ensuring Global Health Security via Vaccine Donation" regarding humanitarian crisis in India
hividgm.ucsf.edu/ensuring-globa…

"Second year of the COVID-19 pandemic showcasing the stark inequity in global health security. The most advanced economies are entering a period of containment while the rest of the world is unable to respond or recover from the pandemic with relevant medical or economic tools"

"U.S. is on track to a summer of pre-pandemic levels of normalcy while South Asia and India in particular is reporting an estimated 1–2 million cases/day and 15,000-25,000 deaths/day. The pandemic will end when it ends for all.". Even with US vaccinating 12-15 yo, 70 million

surplus doses now (which could meet demand in S. Asia for next few months). Pending delivery of 130 million doses of Pfizer, 170 million Moderna vaccine, 180 million of the 1-dose J&J vaccine and 100 million doses of the Novavax vaccine can vaccinate additional 330 million

We call on donations of these surplus vaccines to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other places with raging epidemics now from the US government since the supply exceeds what is required to vaccine the US population even 12-15. Given the massive power of the vaccines to

reduce severe illness, this will have an immediate impact on hospitalizations and deaths (and cases) occurring from the pandemic in India & South Asia. Signed by multiple authors including @khmayer1, @AdaAdimora, @CarlosdelRio7, @gregggonsalves, @cmorten2, @ChrisBeyrer

@MattSpinelliMD, @HIVpxresearch and sent to Congressman @RoKhanna and members of the Biden Administration. We previously wrote open letter to HHS & NIH calling on US government to use every available tool to expand global access to COVID-vaccines
washingtonpost.com/business/2021/…

including a government-owned patent on #COVID vaccines, given the precedent during the HIV crisis. We now appeal to Congress & Biden Administration to donate surplus vaccine &transfer technology to India & other South Asian countries during this unprecedented crisis. Thank you.

Here is the history of HIV and IP patents and @POTUS has already expressed administration's commitment to work on waiving IP patents temporarily (though EU partners reluctant) for #covid19 vax to India/S. Asia- we call for donation of surplus doses now.
time.com/6046096/india-…