Thread by @astroehlein

We have all had to change our habits in the pandemic.

😷 We put on masks in enclosed spaces like shops and public transport to help avoid spreading the virus.

But one group of people has refused to change their habits…

We have all had to change our habits in the pandemic.

🧪 We get tested before and after travel, when we have symptoms, and when we’re around people who have it.

But one group of people has refused to change their habits…

We have all had to change our ways in the pandemic.

💉 We get vaccines and boosters to do our part in keeping ourselves, our families, our friends & others safe.

But one group of people has refused to change their ways…

We have all had to understand that the pandemic means doing things differently.

📆 We have had so many plans & events cancelled, but we accept that it’s necessary in these different times.

But one group of people has refused to do things differently…

We have all had to struggle with accepting new ways of doing the things in the pandemic.

📓 Our children have had to accept online learning, causing stress & a lasting blow to their education.

But one group of people has refused to accept new ways of doing things…

We have all had to deal with change and upheaval in the pandemic.

💸 We’ve lost jobs and had our businesses wrecked by the economic tsunami that’s ripped through our societies.

But one group of people has refused to change what they do to fight the virus…

We have all had to rise to tough challenges in the pandemic.

⚕️ Our medical professionals have worked to the point of exhaustion - and well beyond - to address the surges of suffering.

But one group of people has refused to rise to the challenge & change their ways…

We have all had to face pain and suffering in the pandemic.

⚰️ Some of us have had loved ones die and not even been able to attend their funeral.

But one group of people continues on like before - acting like nothing’s different about these times at all…

We have changed they way we do everything to help meet the challenges of these exceptional, abnormal times.

Only one group of people has refused to change their habits, doing everything as before, with no changes to their way of operating whatsoever.

Who is that group?

Leaders of the EU, UK and Switzerland, who for the entire time have stubbornly refused to change international trade rules to address the pandemic.

The pandemic for them is just normal times, just “business as usual”.

Specifically: For 15 months, the EU, UK & Switzerland have been blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver, a proposal at the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive some intellectual property rules on vaccines & other health products.

This policy guarantees the current global vaccine shortage will continue & that prolongs the pandemic, meaning:

☠️ more death;

☠️ more suffering;

☠️ more chances for new variants to emerge.

These leaders know all this - they're not stupid - but this is their policy anyway

While you and I have had to change everything about our lives, these leaders have stood by like nothing is wrong, like nothing exceptional has been happening.

But we all know they’re wrong.

We all know that exceptional times call for exceptional measures.

We know, because we’ve been living it for two years.

15 months ago, a proposal at the WTO called the #TRIPSwaiver recognised that the world was facing exceptional times.

Over 100 countries back the idea of a temporary relaxation of the rules on patents for vaccines and other health products needed to deal with the pandemic.

Health experts and major scientific publications like @Nature back the #TRIPSwaiver.

Only the EU, UK and Switzerland are opposed, because it might eat into the whopping ongoing profits of a few pharma monopolies.
nature.com/articles/d4158…

Everyone is willing to take exceptional measures in these exceptional times.

Everyone understands exceptional measures are necessary to end this pandemic.

📢 It’s time for the leaders of these rich governments to join us and do the same.

For more on the problem - and a start to the solution called a #PeoplesVaccine - please read and share this thread:

https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/1479343510407024640