Shouldn’t vaccines be publicly owned?

Latest

Vaccine injection being prepared
Photo / Hakan Nural on Unsplash

We the people paid a lot of the up-front development costs for the vaccines, but the drug companies own them and get all the profits, and we can’t even all get vaccinated. This in the wake of the horrifying number of deaths in the United States — 500,000.

As we go to print, President Biden has said the United States will have enough COVID-19 vaccine for 300 million people by the end of May.  We hope this is the case as some of the vaccine producers have said in the recent past that they are not going to meet their production targets. Supply is still limited.

Meanwhile, as of December, the U.S. government has obligated nearly $14 billion in public money for vaccine development and manufacturing. The contracts that the U.S. and other governments around the world signed with the vaccine makers are secret, but some details have leaked out. The New York Times reported that “drug companies demanded and received flexible [vaccine] delivery schedules, patent protection and immunity from liability if anything goes wrong. In some instances, countries are prohibited from donating or reselling doses, a ban that could hamper efforts to get vaccines to poor countries.”

Shouldn’t the COVID-19 vaccine — and all vaccines — be publicly owned?

—The Editors

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

‘I Am a Political Prisoner’ Says Jailed Immigrant Rights Activist

In this interview with Democracy Now, Journalist Maria Hinojosa describes her recent interview in an ICE detention center in Colorado with jailed immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra.

War No More – Veterans Reflect on the Meaning of Memorial Day

Veterans for Peace say wars will not end, – and nuclear war will not be averted – unless there is a sea-change in the thinking of the U.S. people and our political leaders.

Harvard University Stands Up to Illegal Federal Government Actions

Read letter by Harvard President Alan M. Garner, about the University's stance on the Federal government's illegal actions to force Harvard to give up the school's academic independence and academic freedom.

Trump’s Big Cruel, Deadly Policy Bill is a Healthcare Heist

Outrage is rising against Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that would give massive tax breaks to the rich while slashing Medicaid, nutrition, and clean energy. Some say 14 million people could lose health coverage.

Is FREE Electricity in our Future?

Electricity should be a right, free to all.  Yet, for-profit energy companies set prices to maximize profits to shareholders, even when users can’t afford the prices and suffer shutoffs.

More from the People's Tribune