A call for the transfer of knowledge and immediate suspension of patents on all medical tools used in the production of Covid-19 vaccines has been made by activists, civil society bodies and Doctors without Borders also Known as Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF).
The call was made in the light of low level of vaccination in African countries sequel to poor technological know how and finance.
Record have it that in African countries, fewer than 2% of people have been vaccinated, while in Germany 70% have received at least one dose.
The letter signed by civil society groups, patient bodies and human rights activists has been sent to German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Economy minister Robert Habeck and Development minister Svenja Schulze.
The letter called for an immediate suspension of patents through the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (Trips) waiver — an intellectual rights protocol — at the World Trade Organization, “which to date has been outright blocked by the German government”.
They further stated that the need for technological transfer to producers in low and middle- income income countries is sacrosanct to ensure that optimal and accelerated vaccine production meets the desired available population.
The letter also posits that “To end the deadly global inequality you must take all possible steps to ramp up production as quickly as possible. The transfer of know-how to producers worldwide is explicitly mentioned in the coalition agreement.
MSF further stated that Germany must also quickly increase pressure on manufacturers, especially BioNTech, to finally share their vaccine technology knowledge.
In a similar development, two major trade Union federation in South Africa have expressed great dismay over the failure to give stiff penalty to laboratories that have been found wanting in their involvement in unwholesome charges for Covid 19 test.
For the fight against COVID 19 to be successful all hands must be on deck to ensure tests and vaccines availability and administration are evenly available globally.