Politics, Profits Undermine Public Interest in Covid-19 Vaccine Race

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame SundaramSYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 2020 (IPS) With well over five million Covid-19 infections worldwide, and deaths exceeding 340,000, the race for an effective vaccine has accelerated since the SARS-Cov-2 virus was first identified as the culprit. Expecting to score politically from being ‘first’ to have a vaccine, US President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed promises to get 300 million doses to Americans by January, after the November polls, following several failed attempts to monopolize vaccines being developed by European companies. Anis Chowdhury More than 115 vaccine development efforts are ongoing around the world. Eight human trials are underway, including five in China, with the most promising one government financed. Meanwhile, affordable access is the primary concern for most of the world. Fighting epidemics together Sixty-five years ago, Jonas Salk insisted that the polio vaccine he had developed remain patent free. Asked who owned the patent, he replied, “The people I would say. There is no patent. You might as well ask, could you patent the sun?” Making vaccines and life-saving drugs available freely or affordably has been crucial for containing infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, polio and smallpox. Smallpox had a 30% mortality rate among those infected, and was responsible for 10% of the world’s blind. In 1958, the Soviet Union urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to eradicate smallpox, offe...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Aid Economy & Trade Featured Global Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies TerraViva United Nations Jomo Kwame Sundaram & Anis Chowdhury Source Type: news