Then, all regions of the world will be able to produce their own vaccines and drugs rather than relying on promises of supplies from other countries that, predictably and understandably, will prioritize protecting their own populations.ĬOVID was twice as deadly in poorer countriesīut the United States and the European Union have been reluctant to make concrete commitments that would ensure that vaccines and therapeutics are distributed more equitably. To break the deadlock, countries must commit to licensing the intellectual property (IP) and sharing the knowledge needed to make vaccines and drugs with qualified manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in a pandemic. This issue has been the chief sticking point in the negotiations so far. But there can be no compromise on one thing: there must be equity in access to vaccines, medicines and other supplies needed to save lives. Without a treaty, the world will remain as unprepared for the next pandemic as it was for COVID-19, which killed roughly 7 million people and cost the global economy more than US$12 trillion. Tensions between countries are so high that an agreement by the target date of May 2024 is now unlikely.Ĭompromise must be found. In spite of a promising start to talks on the world’s first treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness, negotiations have stalled. Proclamations of equity and solidarity will be heard this week as diplomats meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York City to talk about preparing for future pandemics. Credit: Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images/Getty The country had little access to COVID-19 vaccines for much of 2021.
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