To access Covid-19 vaccine, get holder of the patent to our side
Our institutions must be at the forefront of developing vaccines, rather than being used to test what others have developed. Covid-19 may quickly get vaccines because it’s a priority for those who have money and institutions to respond. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGA | NMG
What you need to know:
As the world races against time to find the vaccine against the coronavirus disease, it will be difficult for the developing world to access it. Medicines and vaccines are generally protectable under the Intellectual Property (IP) category known as “patent”
Therefore, if a vaccine or a medicine of Covid-19 was obtained, millions of people would still struggle to access it, unless the April 24 commitment by World Health Organisation and leaders to “ensure all people have access to all the tools to prevent, detect, treat and defeat Covid-19” is shared by the rest of the world and honoured.
