There are a small handful of YouTube political commentators to whom I will listen to throughout the week on a number of liberal political issues. Occasionally a story comes across my feed where either they have a different take on something, or present something which I don’t always see in the regular media. Or on sites like Daily Kos where I did not find the issue raised. This seemed to be a potentially serious enough issue that I felt it should be raised. In part because it is an ongoing situation that still has potential to be changed through public knowledge and activism such as can be found here to apply pressure on the government to do the right thing.
David Doel has a channel called The Rational National and for the last couple of days he has brought up an issue mostly involving the US, Canada & the UK which could effect the course of how quickly we can get the world vaccinated. The issue is that these countries are refusing a request to waive the Intellectual Property rights of the vaccine manufacturers such as Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson to the members of the World Trade Organization. Where we are resisting a supermajority vote request of over 100 other WTO member nations to do so. And whereupon waiving these IP rights would allow other manufacturers to produce the vaccines in short order. And help more quickly prepare for alternative vaccines if need should they have the formulations.
Moreover Joe Biden, last summer when he was running for president, made a promise to “absolutely, positively” release the formulas of these vaccines to the world to make sure they were accessible everywhere for quick manufacture once they were developed. Should a vaccine resistant variant of the virus arise, then all that much quicker pharmaceutical companies everywhere would have a head start of finding that new vaccine or booster shot to counter it. Which is critical because the longer it takes to vaccinate billions the more time Covid-19 virus has to potentially mutate and create new variants.
And thus the more likely that a vaccine resistant strain may emerge and potentially set us all back to square one. Some medical experts think that could occur within a year’s time.
Let me suggest that you watch the two short videos released over the last couple of days, the first for background on the issue, and the second on Joe Biden’s promise to not allow profits to get in the way of the health and safety of the entire world.
As seen in the videos India specifically is among one of those arguing that they need the IP protections waived. And the problem seen in the second video includes a trail of many in the Biden administration alone with strong connections to the pharmaceuticals in ways of campaign funding and stock holdings who are likely pressuring him to go back on that promise. Although the WTO is trying to come to a decision today, even if waiving the property rights is not upheld I am sure that the Biden administration and those of our allies could reverse themselves.
Moreover, this is a larger moral issue about how do we go forward in the future? During times of crisis where do we draw the line on Intellectual Property between and IPs ability to monopolize money for companies through licensing of a critical healthcare products and the world’s need for the occasional open solution which may insure greater safety and the protection of lives world-wide.
Some may say the the vaccines now exist and that we are trying to speed delivery of them everywhere. That may be so but with the different vaccines it may be that other companies having access to the formulas should a vaccine resistant strain emerge having local sources ready to tackle it with the potential to create a solution to the local variants the safer we all would be. Perhaps in places where people are hesitant to get a vaccine one made in that country might allay fears or in other ways insure that more people are given their shots as quickly as possible
It is not as if the US couldn’t provide several billions, perhaps at least the 25 billion Joe Biden referenced in the first video, or more, could be given to these companies to compensate for the billions they stand to earn over the next few years. It’s also possible perhaps to at least temporarily waive the IP and make licensing reimbursements available later if there is no other choice. Although I am of the opinion that we should lead and compensate the creators out of federal funding instead.
And at some point it comes down to the word of the president and what we feel is morally the right thing to do.
It is crucial that we consider this issue and perhaps press the Biden administration to hold true to a policy that he said was absolutely, positively needed in the face of the pandemic. To perhaps in time, put Covid-19 and all of its variants down permanently. Be aware that the yearly flu shot you receive for the annual seasonal flu are pretty much all variants of the 1918 influenza flu. That pandemic was mostly stopped by herd immunity through having largely run its course. The problem with that kind of herd immunity solution is that the viruses were never eradicated as we pretty much have with smallpox, polio and others which are either gone or so minimized that outbreaks are quickly contained and 99% of the world’s population do not face them. These 1918 influenza virus strains remained in the wild and still kill tens of thousands yearly. We could prevent such a possibility with Covid-19.
With open-sourced formulations of these vaccines we may eventually defeat every mutated strain of the virus and eventually, just as quickly as we developed the vaccines through the effort of world-wide competition an cooperation, make it a thing of the past at some point. Or least get herd immunity to become pretty much iron clad within the decade.
And to take new positions which can make us a wiser leader in how inevitable globalization goes forward in the 21st century.
Wednesday, May 5, 2021 · 7:42:20 PM +00:00 · Noodles
Update! By the time I had finished this and had a chance to publish Joe Biden is holding true to his word. It appears that despite what seemed to be his administration's reluctance, they are joining to have world wide agreement on waiving the Intellectual Property rights!
Thank you Mr. President!
Wednesday, May 5, 2021 · 10:20:51 PM +00:00
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Noodles
Here is The Rational National’s David Doel reporting on the Biden administration’s decision to join in negotiating for a waiver, more reasons why it is so important, and a little background on how the reversal came about.