Home Headline Rich countries grab half of the future supply of Covid-19 vaccine

Rich countries grab half of the future supply of Covid-19 vaccine

A group of rich countries representing 13% of the world’s population has bought more than half the promised doses of vaccine against Covid-19, according to a report by the NGO Oxfam released on Wednesday (16).

Oxfam analyzed the agreements closed by companies that develop and manufacture the five main vaccines against coronavirus and that are currently in the last phase of clinical trials (AstraZeneca, Gamaleya / Sputnik, Moderna, Pfizer and Sinovac).

“Access to life-saving vaccines shouldn’t depend on where you live or how much money you have,” says Robert Silverman, director of Oxfam.

“The development and approval of a safe and effective vaccine is crucial, but it is equally important to ensure that it is available to everyone. Covid-19 is everywhere, ”continued.

Oxfam has estimated that it will produce 5.9 billion doses. That would be enough for about 3 billion people, as two doses will be needed.

To date, 2.7 billion (51%) of the 5.3 billion doses already traded have been ordered by countries, territories and regions including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel .

Like another 2.6 billion doses were purchased, or received promises of acquisition, from developing countries like Brazil, India, Bangladesh, China and Mexico, among others.

Oxfam said one of the main candidates, the vaccine from the Moderna laboratory, with government orders requested at $ 2.5 billion, but added that the company sold to rich countries as options to purchase all of its production.

The NGO asked for a “people’s vaccine” to be offered, which would be distributed free of charge and based on the needs of each country.

“This would only be possible if the pharmaceutical corporations, that vaccines are produced sharing free of charge as patents, by reestablishing the protection of their monopolies and selling to the best proposal”, thought.

The NGO calculated that the estimated cost of supplying the vaccine to each inhabitant of the planet is less than 1% of the impact expected in the world economy by Covid-19.

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Generalist media, focusing on the relationship between Portuguese-speaking countries and China.

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