Three years after the dreaded COVID-19 outbreak, almost 200 world leaders asked for ‘vaccine injustice’ to be eliminated in an open letter published on Saturday. According to the leaders, “the globe is at a vital juncture,” with the end of the pandemic in sight.
“Decisions made now will determine how the world prepares for and responds to future global health crises. World leaders must reflect on mistakes made in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic so that they are never repeated,” they said.
The letter, signed by 200 leaders, commemorates the third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the hazardous Covid issue a pandemic (WHO).
“We ask world leaders to pledge ‘never again,'” they stated, referring to the “glaring unfairness” that hampered the pandemic response.
“There are decades of publicly funded research behind Covid-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests,” said the letter, adding that, “Governments have poured taxpayer money by the billions into research, development and advance orders, reducing the risks for pharmaceutical companies.”
Insisting that these “are the people’s vaccines, the people’s tests, and the people’s treatments,” it alleges that “instead of rolling out vaccines, tests and treatments based on need, pharmaceutical companies maximized their profits by selling doses first to the richest countries with the deepest pockets”.
If vaccines had been delivered equally in 2021, 1.3 million people, may have been saved
According to research published last year, if the vaccines had been delivered equally in 2021, lives totaling “one preventable death every 24 seconds,” or nearly 1.3 million people, may have been saved. The letter urged leaders and nations to support the ongoing worldwide agreement toward a pandemic accord, citing this report.
According to AFP, the open letter was coordinated by the non-governmental organization alliance People’s Vaccine Alliance. Signatories include current and previous authorities such as Timor-Leste President José Manuel Ramos-Horta, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, as well as several other Nobel laureates, faith leaders, and former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The letter was also signed by current and previous UN agency heads, as well as former leaders of more than 40 countries.
