It’s all about the money
The world has seen so many lives perish, while many businesses and livelihoods shattered because of this pandemic. The most feasible solution is already here, yet our very own human frailty prevents us from defeating the enemy.
Right now, the only feasible solution to end the pandemic is to achieve herd immunity through vaccination. The governments of wealthy nations have poured a substantial amount of public money into pharmaceutical companies’ research and development activities to produce vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The pharmaceutical companies have created the silver bullet that will end human suffering. But why does this lifeless minuscule genetic material continue to evade the arsenal of our immune system?
A disturbing fact that governments worldwide continue to ignore is that the shortage of vaccine supplies is artificial. A report published on the website of Oxfam International states that the supply of safe and effective vaccines for all is artificially rationed because of the protection of exclusive rights and monopolies of pharmaceutical corporations.
Under a normal situation, it is morally correct for governments to give protection to inventors of products that provide a technical solution to a problem by granting a patent to these products. A patent owner has the right to decide who may – or may not – use the patented invention for the period in which the invention is protected. In other words, patent protection means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed, imported, or sold by others without the patent owner’s consent (wipo.int)
The Vaccine Peoples Alliance warned the three biggest vaccine companies in the world are largely sitting on the sidelines – they currently plan to produce enough COVID-19 vaccines for only 1.5 percent of the global population in 2021. Several other large manufacturers are not producing any successful, proven COVID-19 vaccines (oxfam.org).
Because the governments of wealthy countries provide the funds for the research and the development of vaccines, their countries have secured the supplies for their people, leaving developing countries to compete for the leftovers. Does the world lack production facilities to produce the life-saving antidote?
The answer is no. In terms of production capacity, developing countries currently have an unused capacity that can probably help produce enough vaccines for the whole world when tapped to ramp up vaccine production. The Alliance notes that only one vaccine manufacturer has been subcontracted to produce COVID-19 vaccines in India, although 20 others have a production capacity. Analysis by the Alliance has shown that the limited supply of the approved vaccines means that unless action is taken, only one in ten people will be vaccinated by the end of the year in many developing countries.
The vaccines may be humanity’s only weapon against the virus for now. The technology is here with us, but the virus would continue its winning streak as we grapple with our selfish motives of amassing huge profits.
Unless the current leading vaccine producers share their knowledge and technology and come to reasonable agreements with all other capable manufacturers, we can never get out of this pandemic.
Let us not forget that the intellectual property rights of vaccine manufacturers to create a monopoly of their product artificially are made by man through legislation. During this time of crisis, governments are called upon to do what is morally right. It is not supposedly challenging to choose between life and money. But with man’s folly and love for money, a few are capable of putting the poor and the vulnerable as offering in the altar of greed.