Vatican supports waiving some patent protections for COVID-19 vaccine Feb 23, 2021 catholic news service A man checks documents of a woman outside a vaccination center in New Delhi Feb. 13, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a meeting of the World Trade Organization Feb. 23, the Vatican joined several developing nations in calling for patent waivers and sublicensing agreements to speed production of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and equipment. (Credit: Adnan Abidi/Reuters via CNS.) The Vatican threw its support behind an effort by India, South Africa and a host of developing nations to loosen international patent protections and speed up sub-licensing agreements for the production of COVID-19 vaccines, pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment.