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Doctors Without Borders reiterates call for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines

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International humanitarian medical NGO, Doctors Without Borders, has reiterated its call to wealthy nations and pharmaceutical corporations to provide solutions to ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines for poor countries.

MSF has urged world leaders to support a proposal by South Africa and India to waive monopolies on COVID-19 medical tools.

“A vote is going to be happening at the WTO’s council and if that proposal is supported – at the moment there are 100 countries supporting SA and India’s official proposal – then that means that if we waive intellectual property and if patents are not upheld, then countries in middle and lesser-developing context are able to produce the vaccines themselves and the technology to treat COVID. The same countries that are hoarding the vaccines are the countries that are blocking this waiver,” says an advocacy coordinator for MSF’s Access Campaign, Kate Stegeman.

In January, the World Health Organisation said it was in advanced negotiations with Pfizer about including the company’s COVID-19 vaccine in the agency’s portfolio of shots to be shared with poorer countries.

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