A Biden G7 Global Vaccine Plan Must Include These 3 Elements
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of the G7 Summit President Joe Biden told reporters he will be announcing a plan to vaccinate the world. However, such a task would require a robust, comprehensive global manufacturing program of massive scale.
Public Citizen has been calling on Biden to announce such a plan and published its own plan last December. In April, Public Citizen and more than 60 U.S. groups called on Biden to launch a global vaccine manufacturing program to end the pandemic and build vaccine infrastructure for the future.
“The test for the president’s plan, and plans issued by G7 leaders, is not how it compares to prior commitments or steps taken by other nations, but rather, how quickly that plan will end the pandemic, and whether it mobilizes all available resources to do so,” said Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines program.
Public Citizen contends that an announcement from President Biden that meets the global vaccination need must include at least three elements:
- An official launch and investment in a public global vaccine manufacturing program of scale and urgency to end the pandemic, supported by whole-of-government efforts to source and produce materials and train personnel, with regional manufacturing hubs around the world. A $25 billion commitment can produce eight billion additional doses of mRNA vaccine in one year.
- A pledge to immediately begin sharing the knowledge, technology and intellectual property to make safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments. Biden has authority under existing law, including through the Defense Production Act, to share vaccine recipes with the world. The president should support technology sharing initiatives such as the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and obtain commitments from G7 countries to swiftly adopt an effective temporary TRIPS waiver with respect to vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and other medical products to prevent, contain or treat COVID-19, as well as the inputs and equipment to make such medical products.
- A commitment to immediately distribute vaccine supply to COVAX and developing countries and encourage countries that have purchased more than their fair share to do the same. Millions of people at risk today cannot afford to wait; doses must be delivered to developing countries today.
Ambitious political leadership can make real what once seemed impossible. The world expects urgent, coordinated action from global leaders to end the pandemic,” Maybarduk added.
To speak with Maybarduk or other Public Citizen experts on the global vaccination effort, please contact Mike Stankiewicz at mstankiewicz@citizen.org or (202) 588-7779.