Two billion vaccines required for poor countries

Human Rights Organisation said companies: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Modernna, Novavax ) all have refused to share doses or technological knowledge to enable the world to possess more COVID-19 vaccines.

Of the 5.76 billion doses injected worldwide, only 0.3 percent have gone to low income countries and over 79 percent in middle and high-income countries”, Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard said.

In letters sent to Amnesty International all companies had pledged to support human rights, but the report said their actions violate that commitment.

India and South Africa had sought out the World Trade Organization for companies to share their knowledge of vaccine production, but all six companies had rejected this.

He has launched a new “campaign to hold state and major pharmaceutical companies” responsible for the vaccine supply gap.

Amnesty International said the campaign was supported by the World Health Organisation (OBSH) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

About 100 days left by the end of the year, and the target of O BSH to vaccinate 40 percent of the population of low and medium-income countries is at risk.

It requires rich countries to distribute “hundreds of millions of excess doses of vaccines” and for vaccine producers to ensure that at least half of the doses produced go to poorer countries.

“No one should spend another year suffering and living in fear”, Callamard said. / REL