Published May 20, 2021 12:21pm Profits from COVID-19 jabs have helped at least nine people become billionaires, a campaign group said Thursday, calling for an end to pharmaceutical corporations monopoly control on vaccine technology. Between them, the nine new billionaires have a combined net wealth of $19.3 billion (15.8 billion euros), enough to fully vaccinate all people in low-income countries 1.3 times, The People s Vaccine Alliance said in a statement. The alliance, a network of organizations and activists campaigning for an end to property rights and patents for inoculations, said its figures were based on the Forbes Rich List data. These billionaires are the human face of the huge profits many pharmaceutical corporations are making from the monopoly they hold on these vaccines, said Anna Marriott from charity Oxfam, which is part of the alliance.
As the pandemic rebounds and international anti-epidemic cooperation is at a critical juncture, the G20 leaders meeting at the Global Health Summit on Friday is anticipated to forge a concrete cooperation mechanism on supplying and distributing COVID-19 vaccines quickly and equitably.
Covid-19 News: Covid-19 vaccines have spawned nine new billionaires: campaign group extra.cw - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from extra.cw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, according to a new report. ‘Science and Innovation for a Safer World’, developed by the Global Health Summit Scientific Expert Panel, identifies the main areas for immediate action to control the acute stage of the pandemic while preparing for the probability that SARS-CoV-2 will become endemic.