On 9/22, the US will host a global COVID-19 response summit during #UNGA. Despite multiple COVID summits, including #G7, none have generated robust action needed to address massive global vaccine access imbalances. This one can and must be different. globalcitizen.org/en/content/bid…
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The announcement follows efforts by @GlblCtzn and 30+ other orgs to develop & promote a comprehensive framework for global action against COVID-19, w/ the goal of setting a standard for success of any summit. We've shared key asks, together w/ US-based orgs, w/ the @WhiteHouse.
Yesterday, @washingtonpost published new US-led targets and calls to action that the WH shared w/ countries invited to the summit, covering global access to vaccines, tests, and treatments, as well as pandemic preparedness/financing. Let’s see how they measure up:
The call to fully vaccinate at least 70% of people in all countries by this time next year is 3 months faster than the target set by @BorisJohnson at the #G7 Summit this past June, but 3 months slower than @IMFNews plan released back in May.
When it comes to vaccines, it’s as much about timing as it is about supply and execution. A dose given now means much more in terms of saving lives and slowing the spread of the virus than one given three months from now.
The world is projected to produce over 12bn vaccine doses in 2021 alone. By the end of March 2022, that total will rise to 18.4bn. That’s not only more than enough to fully vaccinate 70% of people globally; it’s enough to give each of them three doses: globalcitizen.org/en/content/bid…
A Sept. '22 delivery timeframe can and must be accelerated. We need a more ambitious target of vaccinating at least 70% of people in all countries by between April and June next year. The summit’s success will likely hinge on whether world leaders commit to backing that target.
The US is calling on high-income countries to support lower-income countries by purchasing or donating 1bn more vaccine doses & expediting delivery of around 2bn existing doses by converting dose-sharing pledges into near-term deliveries and eliminating cross-border bottlenecks.
If met, this could result in nearly 1.6B doses shared w/ lower-income countries in 2021, and G7 & EU countries could already do it:
If they reserved 2 doses for 80% of those 12 and up, as well as boosters for high-risk individuals, they'd still have 1.7B excess unused doses.
If they reserved 2 doses for 80% of those 12 and up, as well as boosters for high-risk individuals, they'd still have 1.7B excess unused doses.
But the challenge is getting governments to commit and follow through. As of Sept. 8, the G7 and EU had reportedly only delivered just over 170M doses to low- and middle-income countries out of a total pledged amount of 575M doses, with nearly 125M of that from the US alone.
The G7 and EU should answer the call of the US and increase their dose-sharing ambition by increasing existing 2021 pledges up to 1 billion doses by the end of September and delivering this year. But additionally by the end of the year, they should increase pledges even further.
Countries need logistics and capacity support to get vaccines from tarmac to arm, including having enough trained health workers to administer doses without compromising broader public health. To support vaccine delivery readiness, US is calling for $3B in 2021 & $7B in 2022.
On top of financing, dose-sharing, and delivery support, the vaccine nationalism we’ve seen through this pandemic has emphasized how badly we need to empower countries with the opportunity, technology, and know-how to produce vaccines & other life-saving medical tools themselves.
On these issues, the US targets lack clarity and teeth. They recognize a need for the manufacturing of doses globally but offer vague calls for “supporting sufficient global and regional production” and expanding manufacturing/technology transfer, including for mRNA vaccines.
Big Pharma has had more than a year to voluntarily engage in open sharing of technology — they simply don’t want to, even with ready-made opportunities to do so. They need to be compelled, which means the US, UK, and Germany putting legal/political pressure on them to cooperate.
The US targets also avoid mention of a proposal by South Africa and India to waive IP around the production of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical tools — backed by over 100 countries. This would allow new producers to help expand global vaccine supply and access.
The Biden administration stated support for a waiver on vaccine IP back in May, but has done little since to change the minds of other powerful countries. Calls for a waiver are underscored by billions in public funding these companies received to fast-track R&D and manufacturing
Today, the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (#TRIPS) at the World Trade Organization (WTO) resumed debate on the waiver after pausing for the month of August. Three-hundred thousand people died from COVID-19 globally in that time. #TRIPSwaiver
After 11 months of debate, the US should re-invigorate its support for the proposal and use the opportunity of the summit next week to build consensus ahead of the key WTO ministerial meeting starting Nov. 30.
If we’re to get through this historic global crisis, the global public needs basic information updated in real time. How many doses have been produced? What is the priority queue for deliveries, and when are they occurring? What prices have they been sold for?
What are the realistic projections for the amount of doses produced this year and beyond? We also need transparency around dose-sharing so the dashboard should include real time updates on delivery against pledges made.
It’s one thing to put targets out and quite another to meet them. For the US summit to be a success, the Biden administration will need to take ownership and mobilize commitments with energy, reflecting the urgency of the crisis the world still faces.
Humanity has succeeded in quickly discovering & producing multiple safe/effective vaccines. Yet we have woefully failed in ensuring equitable distribution, leaving us all at risk of a vaccine-evasive variant emerging and setting us back to square one. We can’t let that happen.
Join the #GlobalCitizenLive campaign to defend the planet and defeat poverty by taking action here, and become part of a movement powered by citizens around the world who are taking action: globalcitizen.org @GlblCtznImpact @GlblCtzn
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