US backs vaccine patent waiver
3
published : 6 May 2021 at 15:45
3 Under intense pressure to ease protections for vaccine manufacturers, the United States threw its weight behind a waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines. (AFP photo)
WASHINGTON: The United States threw its weight behind a waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines as India Thursday posted record deaths and infections from a catastrophic wave swamping the country.
Rich nations have faced accusations of hoarding shots while poor countries struggle to get inoculation programs off the ground, with the virus surging across the developing world in contrast to the easing of restrictions in Europe and the United States.
Prepare for new waves
India has been leading the fight to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines, as it faces a surge that has seen patients die in streets outside hospitals due to bed and medical oxygen shortages.
The country Thursday reported almost 4,000 Covid-19 deaths and more than 412,000 infections, both new records, dashing hopes that the catastrophic recent surge may have been easing following several days of falling case numbers.
A top Indian official Wednesday warned that the worst could still be to come, describing a third wave as inevitable given the high levels of circulating virus and saying the country badly needs more oxygen from other countries.
The United States and Russia have backed proposals for a waiver on patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines as India Thursday posted record deaths and infections from a catastrophic wave swamping the country.
Rich nations have faced accusations of hoarding shots while poor countries struggle to get inoculation programs off the ground, with the virus surging across the developing world in contrast to the easing of restrictions in Europe and the United States.
Under intense pressure to ease protections for vaccine manufacturers, Washington s Trade Representative Katherine Tai said Wednesday the country supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines . The extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures, she said in a statement.
Thursday, 06 May 2021 11:33 PM MYT
A security guard stands outside an empty Covid-19 vaccination centre in Mumbai, India April 30, 2021. ― Reuters pic
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WASHINGTON, May 6 International support grew today for a US proposal to waive patents on much-needed coronavirus vaccines, as India posted record deaths and infections from a catastrophic wave swamping the country.
Rich nations have faced accusations of hoarding shots while poor countries struggle to get inoculation programs off the ground, with the virus surging across the developing world in contrast to the easing of restrictions in Europe and the United States.
Support Grows For Vaccine Patent Waiver As India Sees Record Covid Deaths ibtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ibtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.