People’s Vaccine campaign

At Labour party conference in Brighton: We held a successful fringe meeting on Labour’s policy with shadow development secretary Preet Gill, plus a People’s Vaccine rally at The World Transformed.

As rich countries start to roll out booster shots this autumn, the modest WHO goal of vaccinating 10% of the population of every nation by the end of September was not met. It looks unlikely that the WHO’s call for a 40% global vaccination rate by the end of 2021 will be achieved either. Of the 4.8 billion vaccine doses delivered to date globally, 75% have gone to only 10 countries, while vaccine coverage in Africa is at less than 2%.

Latest data shows that the G7 countries combined have enough surplus vaccines to redistribute 500m doses by the end of September, and up to 1.2bn doses by the end of the year. Yet Covax, the biggest buyer of vaccines and supplier of them to poorer countries, has struggled to get hold of the doses it has bought and has shipped only 303m this year. Even as production ramps up, global health inequality deepens. And of course, healthcare systems in poorer countries are overwhelmed and under resourced not just with vaccines but also medication, oxygen, protective gear – all this would be covered under the temporary IP suspension proposed by the TRIPS waiver.

It is now a whole year since South Africa and India proposed a temporary waiver of Covid-related patents to the World Trade Organisation’s intellectual property body, the TRIPS Council. Over 100 countries in the global south supported the proposal at the time, and since then some rich countries including the US, France and Australia have done so too. But the UK, Germany, Norway and Switzerland in particular continue to block it.

On 22 September, President Biden convened a virtual Covid-19 Summit where he pledged an additional 500 million vaccine doses in donations, but failed to put pressure on pharmaceutical companies to share their technologies for expanded production. Boris Johnson did not even attend the summit.

Donated doses will come too late – low- and middle-income countries need the vaccines now, not by the end of next year. Sustainable and timely supplies are needed immediately and in the future, and southern manufacturers need the technology and know-how to be able to produce them.

We know the coming months will be key. With rising case numbers globally and close to 10,000 people a day still dying from Covid-19 across the world, equitable vaccine access is essential. With social democrats having just won elections in Germany and Norway, there is the possibility of a change of direction, coalition negotiations permitting. However, the UK is still a stumbling block.

On Tuesday 12 October, the day before the TRIPS Council next meets, we’re calling a ‘day of shame’ with a sombre action in Central London in the early evening to remember the needless deaths in the last year and call the government out on its shameful behaviour. We need a decent number of people to make the action work, so if you can make it on 12 October, join us on the pre-action Zoom call at noon on Saturday 2 October. Register for it at globaljustice.org.uk/shame-call

Our allies in ATTAC Austria, who are also campaigning on this issue, will be mobilising at the same time, along with other European allies. If you can’t make the call, but would still like to come to the action, email alena.ivanova@globaljustice.org.uk

Some local groups have run successful People’s Vaccine campaign stalls recently with the campaign postcards, leaflets and stickers (see ‘key resources’ section’). If you’d like to run one, you can order materials from activism@globaljustice.org.uk or by calling 020 7820 4900. As ever we will try our best to help with other requests and advice.

We now have campaign t-shirts available from our on-demand t-shirt supplier Teemill. If you’d like to show your support for the campaign with a funky organic cotton tee, go to globaljustice.org.uk/tshirts

We also have a limited number of preproduced versions of the End Vaccine Apartheid shirts in unisex black or white only which we can supply for £10 each. Email guy.taylor@globaljustice.org.uk

Campaign postcard (2021).

Free Covid-19 vaccines from Big Pharma monopolies Four-page A5 leaflet (2021).

Fighting for a People’s Vaccine Supporter briefing, now shortened to four pages (February 2021).

Stickers The global south needs a vaccine too. Sheets of 12.