Nine out of ten residents of 70 poor countries are unlikely to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus next year, since Western countries have already bought most of the most promising drugs, writes The Guardian newspaper with reference to data from the coalition of organizations working in the field of human rights, the People's Vaccine Alliance.
Developed countries, where 14% of the planet's population lives, have already provided themselves with the most promising vaccines against the coronavirus. Yes, Canada purchased the most doses per capita: every Canadian, if they wish, will be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus five times.
"No one can be denied a vital vaccine because of the country they live in or the amount of money they have. But until something changes radically, billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 for years," said Anna Marriott, manager of the Oxfam coalition charity.
Yes, 96% of the Pfizer vaccine was purchased by Western countries. Only residents of developed countries will be able to get the Moderna vaccine, and the prices for both vaccines are high. In addition, they must be stored at a very low temperature. AstraZeneca, on the other hand, plans to send 64% of vaccine doses to developing countries.
Activists from the coalition People's Vaccine Alliance, which includes Amnesty International, Frontline AIDS, Global Justice Now and Oxfam, call on vaccine manufacturers to share technologies with the World Health Organization. This will make it possible to produce billions of doses more with lower costs, they emphasize.
