[ad_1]
In response to today’s announcement by the World Health Organization that its Strategic Expert Advisory Group recommends the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, Anna Marriott, Oxfam Health Policy Officer, said:
“It is great news that the World Health Organization has approved the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, given that it is currently the only successful COVID-19 vaccine candidate to have sold the majority of doses to countries in development.
“However, given the questions about the effectiveness of this vaccine against the South African variant of COVID-19, it is even more imperative that all pharmaceutical companies be transparent and commit to sharing their technology and pricing policies. in order to get this horrible pandemic under control.
“Our dependence on a few pharmaceutical companies is absurd in the face of extreme vaccine shortages and rising mutations. There is also the risk that rich countries will choose the vaccines they believe to be the most effective, while poorer countries are left with all they can get.
“Governments must act together to bypass this broken system of patents, monopolies and secrecy to ensure that safe and effective vaccines are available to everyone, everywhere.”
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Sarah Dransfield, Oxfam Press Office, + 44 (0) 7884 114825 / email [email protected]
Oxfam is part of the People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of global and national organizations and activists united in a common goal: to campaign for a ‘popular vaccine’. The call for a popular vaccine is supported by past and present world leaders, health experts, religious leaders and economists. For more information visit: https://peoplesvaccine.org
Source link
