In October of last year, Pope Francis made a plea to drug companies to release COVID-19 vaccine patents. “Make a gesture of humanity and allow every country, every people, every human being to have access to the vaccine” he said. The manufacturers of the most widely sought vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — have refused to share patents and know-how. Even the Biden administration has backed suspending waivers.
In November, the Council of Global Unions representing over 200 million workers worldwide urged the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and the EU Commission to stop blocking efforts to waive vaccine patents. Trade policy provisions of the World Trade Organization are derailing the waivers. On November 30 there was a campaign around the world demanded WTO end vaccine “apartheid.” The protests were to take place at the WTO meeting in Geneva, but the meeting was cancelled due to COVID, and instead, activists held protests around the world.
Facing a surge of the Omicron virus, the peoples of the world must escalate the fight to save lives.
