Support the People’s Vaccine!

Coronavirus is wreaking havoc across the entire world. Hundreds of thousands of people have already died (nearly 100,000 Americans alone), and the disease is spreading by the day. As long as vaccines and treatments remain unattainable, people will continue to get sick and die.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Oxfam has called on world leaders to come together, and take concrete steps to ensure that we find a vaccine for Coronavirus as quickly as possible. The leaders of South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, and Pakistan have already pledged their support to a People’s Vaccine, as has the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown.

We are now calling on the White House and U.S. Congress to sign on and pledge full support for a People’s Vaccine.

As per Oxfam’s People’s Vaccine campaign, the commitments include the following:

A mandatory worldwide pooling of patents and sharing of all COVID-19-related knowledge, data and technologies in order to ensure that any nation can produce or buy affordable doses of vaccines, treatments and tests.

The rapid establishment of an equitable global manufacturing and distribution plan for all vaccines, treatments and tests that is fully funded by rich nations and which guarantees transparent “at true cost prices” and supplies in accordance with need rather than the ability to pay. This would include urgent action to massively increase manufacturing capacity to produce the vaccines in sufficient quantities and train and recruit millions of health workers to distribute them.

A guarantee that COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests are provided free of charge to everyone, everywhere, with priority given to frontline workers, vulnerable people and poor countries with the least capacity to save lives.

If U.S. leaders signed onto this agreement, the impact would be felt worldwide: It would open the door for more leaders of Western countries to support this agreement, as well. We will undoubtedly quicken the process of finding treatment for Coronavirus by all coming together and pooling together resources and knowledge -- hundreds of thousands of lives (and possibly more) would be saved, and immeasurable pain and suffering will have been prevented.

More information:

"World leaders unite in call for a people’s vaccine against COVID-19,” May 14, 2020. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/world-leaders-unite-call-peoples-vaccine-against-covid-19

"OPEN LETTER: Uniting Behind A People’s Vaccine Against COVID-19," Oxfam International, Medium, May 13, 2020.
https://medium.com/@Oxfam/uniting-behind-a-peoples-vaccine-against-covid-19-87eec640976