Global Pandemic & Vaccination One of the most important social justice concerns of our time is vaccine disparity

Global Pandemic & Vaccination

One of the most important social justice concerns of our time is vaccine disparity, which seriously jeopardizes the worldwide effort to combat COVID-19. Simply said, donating extra doses is insufficient. We join the WHO, MSF, Amnesty International, and other scientists worldwide in calling for a Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) waiver to allow the manufacturing of vaccines all over the world. As public health researchers and practitioners, including those working on epidemic preparedness, response, and vaccine development and deployment, Around 100 countries, including the United States as of May 2021, supported the idea of waiving TRIPs for COVID-19 items when it was first put forth by India and South Africa in October 2020. However, several of the world’s richest countries, notably the UK, continue to oppose it.

Over three million individuals have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year. The pandemic’s consequences on social and economic life, as well as the responses taken to manage it, have had a wide range of knock-on effects, including deteriorating mental health; rising levels of poverty; and a rise in domestic violence. Deep societal changes have resulted from COVID-19. The epidemic has instead reinforced existing disparities within and across nations in terms of the prevention and treatment of the virus, contrary to expectations that governments and international organizations would take action to protect all sections of society. This is best demonstrated by how COVID-19 vaccines are distributed around the world.

Many people believe that vaccines are the solution to the pandemic problem. They were created at breakneck speed as a result of the mobilization of the whole scientific community, and they have allowed certain nations to begin preparing for a gradual end to lockdowns and other limitations. However, plentiful vaccine supplies continue to be a privilege of the few. The majority of people in low-income countries (whose development has been hampered by a long history of extraction by wealthy nations) won’t receive a dose until at least 2022, whereas wealthy nations like the UK and the US have purchased enough doses to vaccinate their populations several times over. This is both unfair and ill-advised. The pandemic is far from over, and tragic events in India, Nepal, and Brazil serve as a reminder of this. They also serve as a warning that permitting new, potentially vaccine-resistant strains to arise will jeopardize vaccination campaigns worldwide.

G7 leaders have endorsed the distribution of vaccines via websites like COVAX. Despite the fact that these endeavors are admirable, they fall short. By the end of 2021, the targeted immunization coverage for COVAX-participating nations will be about 20%, and the timely delivery of COVID-19 vaccines is in doubt as “high-income countries step to the front of the queue for limited supplies.” A charity model is also inadequate and insufficient because it hinders the realization that vaccination equity is a social justice issue and the contribution that many high-income countries make to the “resource poverty” of other nations. A TRIPs waiver would enable increased access to vaccinations and make it easier to scale up technological transfers and manufacture, refocusing the discussion on international cooperation.

We understand that a waiver is just the beginning. The rapid expansion of vaccine production and distribution capabilities is essential, including high-income nations removing restrictions on the export of raw materials like glass vials to developing nations. At all stages of the vaccine development process, strategies for knowledge and technology transfer as well as ongoing, open, and free sharing of crucial public health information are vital. Additionally, a wider selection of COVID-19 items, including diagnostic and therapeutic options, should be included.

Moving beyond vaccine nationalism and addressing both the moral requirement of vaccination equality and the ‘enlightened self-interest’ of increased vaccine coverage is essential for effective global leadership. The tide is beginning to shift. In the past month, both the European Parliament and the Biden administration in the US have shown their support for a waiver. We want to persuade the UK government to swiftly reevaluate its position on TRIPs waivers for vaccines and to lend our voice to the growing requests to “share vaccine technology and enhance global capacity for vaccine production.”

Reference

Nicola M, Alsafi Z, Sohrabi C, Kerwan A, Al-Jabir A, Iosifidis C, et al. The socio-economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): a review. Int J Surg. (2020) 78:185–93. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.04.018