United States backs plan to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents
Biden had been under intense pressure to waive protections for vaccine manufacturers, especially amid criticism that rich nations were hoarding shots.
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WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden s administration on Wednesday announced support for a global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, offering hope to poor nations that have struggled to access the life-saving doses.
India, where the death toll hit a new daily record amid fears the peak is still to come, has been leading the fight within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines a move pharma giants oppose.
US backs plan to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents
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WASHINGTON, May 6, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday announced support for a global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, offering hope to poor nations that have struggled to access the life-saving doses.
India, where the death toll hit a new daily record amid fears the peak is still to come, has been leading the fight within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines a move pharma giants oppose.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that while intellectual property rights for businesses are important, Washington “supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines” in order to end the pandemic.
2021-03-10 04:11:54 GMT2021-03-10 12:11:54(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) A global humanitarian organization warned that an invisible wall has blocked migrants from access to basic services since the COVID-19 pandemic started and is preventing them from accessing vaccines.
While lockdowns and other measures were designed to control the spread of the coronavirus, they also inadvertently increased suffering among migrants, said the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in a new report on Tuesday.
Because of the restrictions, many migrants have lost their jobs and livelihoods, and were subsequently unable to meet their most basic needs, leading to worrying levels of food insecurity and homelessness due to their inability to pay rent and worsening mental health conditions, it said.