Oxfam reaction to Canada taking COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX program
In response to the Canadian government’s announcement to draw on the supply of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX program, Diana Sarosi, Oxfam Canada’s Director of Policy and Campaigns said the following:
“Canada should not be taking the COVAX vaccine from poor nations to alleviate political pressures at home. Receiving one or two million doses isn’t going to solve Canada’s vaccination challenges and it is going to cause harm elsewhere in the world for the poorest and most marginalized people.”
“Purchasing more vaccines, when Canada has already purchased enough to vaccinate the entire population four times over, is not a viable solution. Canada should promote and champion global collaborative solutions led by the World Health Organizations COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.”
“All governments must use their financial and legal powers to force pharmaceutical companies to share their technology and intellectual property through the global COVAX facility so that billions more doses can be manufactured.”
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Notes to editors:
- Oxfam is part of The Peoples’ Vaccine campaign, which is calling on all vaccine developers to openly share their intellectual property, technology and knowhow to enable the mass production of successful vaccine all over the world. The call for a People’s Vaccine is backed by past and present world leaders, health experts, faith leaders and economists. For more information visit: https://peoplesvaccine.org
- In December, the People’s Vaccine Alliance revealed that 9 out of 10 people in poor countries are set to miss out on a COVID-19 vaccine next year, based on data available at the end of November 2020. https://www.oxfam.ca/news/canada-front-of-the-line-for-covid-19-doses-while-9-out-of-10-people-in-poor-countries-are-set-to-miss-out-on-vaccine-next-year/
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