Vaccinating the poor: it wouldn't cost much

Fifty billion dollars to protect 70 percent of the world's population. And give us, those of us who live in advanced countries, peace of mind.

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vaccines for all
We have to stop the variants, and we move on to the third and fourth doses. They have to still starting to get vaccinatedThis is the unequal and unjust world that cannot cope with the advance of the coronavirus. The data speaks clearly: in advanced countries, the population vaccinated is above 60 percent, in middle-income countries it is 30 percent, in poor countries it doesn't reach 5 percentResult: the winds of globalization carry Covid-19 variants, like Omicron, from where they spread more easily, for example in Africa, to countries that should be immunized, like Italy.

VACCINATE THE POOR

At this point Vaccinate the poor It becomes a necessity, as well as a basic act of justice. And it wouldn't cost much, if there was a minimum of political will, in America as in Europe. International Global Fund He calculated that vaccinating 70 percent of the world's population in a few months would cost $50 billion. This is a sum we can afford, and much less than the $4.500 trillion in losses to the global economy if we fail to stop the virus. the long wave of the coronavirusAnd not much more than the vaccines we're wasting right now: the European Union, for example, had promised 350 million doses to Covax, but in reality has delivered fewer than 60 million doses.

VACCINATION IN AFRICA

Vaccination in Africa is almost zeroAs of November 24, 2021, the fully vaccinated African population is only 7,5 percent of the total (in Europe we are at 58 percent and we would have a much higher figure without the anti-vaxxers).World Health Organization It had set itself the goal of vaccinating 10 percent of the African population by September 2021. This target is unattainable without a major earthquake that brings millions of doses to Africa, liberalizes vaccines for a certain period, and allows their production there. Meanwhile, the Delta variant is now dominant in 21 of the 55 African countries, and from here it goes in any direction.

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COVID IN AFRICA

Apart from the very low percentage of vaccinated people, which at this rate will lead to a decent coverage of African countries not before the end of 2023, the virus, in its various forms, is also spreading due to two other factors that combine. The lockdown has further impoverished African populations, and demanding new economic and social sacrifices is something no regime in these countries intends to do. Discontent smolders, and the fear remains of sudden and violent uprisings, which could also be fueled by Islamic terrorist groups. The second factor is the multiplication of variantsIt's as if the virus had chosen Africa as the ideal place to reproduce, ever more differently and more powerfully, to resist the power of the vaccine. And it is precisely with the vaccine, with mass vaccination in Africa, that we must start if we want to prevent this continent's troubles from reverberating to our homes.

WHY VACCINATE AFRICA

No one better than a distinguished scientist like Professor Alberto Mantovani, scientific director of Humanitas in Milan, has summarized the three reasons why it is essential to vaccinate Africans. And because if this goal isn't achieved, the situation will only worsen, even in our parts. The first reason, almost obvious, is the human solidarityThe second reason is of an ethical nature: realization of the vaccines Africans, Asians and Latin Americans also contributed to the fight against Covid-19, already in the initial phaseAnd now we want to exclude them just because they don't have the money to pay for a vaccination ($12)? The third reason is this: The more the virus spreads in poor countries, the less safe rich countries can be.And this is for a scientific reason. What we call alpha, beta, gamma, and delta variants originated in Africa, the Amazon, India, and South Africa. In those parts of the world where the vaccinated population is very low.

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VACCINE LIBERALIZATION

SolidarityHow many times have we wasted this word in connection with international relations between the North and the South of the world, and how many times have we drowned it in the lake of rhetoric without lifting a finger to straighten out unjust globalization. Where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Now we have another historic opportunity, with benefits for all, to apply solidarity to geopolitical balances and in this case to the health of the entire population of the planet: the liberalization of vaccine patentsThe clear and strong proposal did not come from some old Marxist leader in South America, but from US President Joe Biden. Vaccines for all, said the US president, recalling that there are too many nations in the world where population coverage plans have not yet begun. And they never will unless there is a concrete form of shared mass protection plans.

AWAY WITH PATENTS

Lo North-South imbalance of the world faced with this new phase of the pandemic It's clear. In North America, one in two people is now fully vaccinated, in Asia it's one in twelve, and in several African countries (from Uganda to Burundi) we're at zero. While in this part of the world where we find ourselves, the Planet of the Rich, we're moving toward reopening and a return to a quasi-normal life, in other parts of the world, the Planet of the Poor, we're plunging into a new phase of mass infections. This is happening in Brazil, for example, but also in Nigeria and South Africa. Not to mention India, where 4 deaths a day are being recorded. Environmental factors explain this enormous disparity: the demographic picture, a very fragile healthcare system, the promiscuity of citizens, the overcrowding of urban centers, the behavior of individuals. And above all, the lack of resources to introduce a real plan to protect the population.

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VACCINES FOR ALL

With each passing day the pandemic becomes less the sameAnd without a surge of altruism, it will be difficult to eradicate Covid-19 globally, with problems that will sooner or later come crashing down on our homes. Returning to Biden's proposal, Europe, as usual, has not been able to respond with one voice. France, and President Emmanuel Macron has spoken, has said it fully supports Biden's proposal, and this is already a step forward. Italy is also in favor, although Mario Draghi, with great lucidity, has also combined the liberalization of patents with the end of the export block, which penalizes the poorest countries. However, Angela Merkel's "no" has risen against Biden's proposal. It's clear that the Chancellor is defending the interests of large, systemic German groups like BionTech and CureVac, which could lose market share or profit margins on specific products if anti-coronavirus vaccines Covid were liberalized. But Merkel's hands and feet are also tied by another, purely political factor: the next general elections scheduled for September 2021. She cannot afford, with her party in free fall and her exit from the scene, a position on vaccines that is not in line with political choices inspired by the principle Germany first, a slogan much appreciated by voters. Forget solidarity and altruism: without Germany, Europe will be unable to make progress toward the goal of "Vaccines for All" and will continue to be overtaken by American positions, which, however, will not be enough to bridge the gap with poorer countries.

LIBERALIZATION OF VACCINE PATENTS

A more lucid ruling class, before abandoning a more shared approach to the vaccination campaign, would consider some aspects that could make a difference. And there are at least three. First, in countries where Covid-19 is resurfacing, in the absence of effective vaccination plans, the number of cases is multiplying. virus mutationsThese are the famous variants. Some have already arrived in Europe, and we know what trouble they've caused. Others are ready to land if we can't stop the virus, where it's resurfacing in new forms. New variants mean adapt vaccines, and their large-scale production. More money, also for pharmaceutical companies, and new risks for communities that are just emerging from the long tunnel of the pandemic and lockdown.

Second consideration: liberalizing vaccine patents does not mean, automatically, to do harm to pharmaceutical companiesIndeed, it could create other sources of revenue, with excellent profit margin prospects. Let's take the example of India, the world's leading producer of generic drugs: the country would be well-positioned to seize the opportunities offered by a temporary patent liberalization, but in turn, large pharmaceutical companies could find the key to entry into this lucrative market in Covid vaccines.

Finally, it should also be noted that the vaccine race has been extraordinary in terms of timeliness and results, thanks in part to the extremely generous public funding available in every country around the world, especially in those that have patented the most effective vaccines. There would be nothing scandalous if the vaccine multinationals returned some of these advantages by accepting and leveraging the liberalization of vaccines. It would be an important step for a more sustainable world, a useful and convenient goal for everyone.

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PATENT-FREE VACCINES

The idea of suspend intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines for a certain period of time, originated in India and South Africa, and then supported by the US administration, requires translation to avoid being mere wishful thinking. Translation must also take into account the interests and conflicts underlying such a decision. An interesting article by Professor Vincenzo De Nicolò, published on lavoce.info, proposes two solutions. One, strongly supported by the left wing of the American Democratic Party and by Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz and Michael Kremer, simply calls for a shift in pharmaceutical company revenues following the introduction of a new vaccine. No more patents, but cash prizes. The second solution: the linchpin of the new vaccine research system (still state-funded) is concentrated in public hands, and no longer in private companies that then, in some cases, collaborate with state institutions. Universities, research institutes, organizations: everything passes through here, and from there, patent liberalization becomes almost automatic. Both solutions are not simple, and neither are expected to be short-term. The world, however, is in a hurry in the face of recurring waves of coronavirus, and Africa cannot be left alone, also for our own interest as wealthy and vaccinated peoples, but not for this reason certain of getting by.

WHO HAS PROFITED FROM VACCINES? 

The unequal world, which will never be able to free itself from the pandemic, is captured in these numbers, sourced from the World Health Organization: Western countries, where income levels are medium and high, have received 80 percent of the doses distributed by pharmaceutical companies (4 billion); the rest of the world, which is worth 50 percent of the planet's population, has received only 20 percent of the doses.
In some African countries, such as Nigeria and Ethiopia, vaccination rates don't exceed two per 100 inhabitants (in Italy, the figure is 122 per 100 inhabitants). And who has benefited so far from vaccinations? Here too, the numbers speak for themselves, with some telling examples. Pfizer reported a 68 percent increase in revenue compared to 2020, and with the Covid-19 vaccine alone, the group expects to generate a turnover of 33,5 billion dollars in a year. The profits of Modern in the first half of 2021, thanks only to the sale of vaccines that do not arrive in Africa, they are equal to 4 billion dollarsGermany's Biontech, until now a small biotech company, found itself with €1 billion in cash in June, thanks to €3,9 billion in profits in the first half of 2021. And we're still in the early stages.

THE FAILURE OF COVAX

The first to realize that if we don't all get vaccinated, starting with the people of Africa, no one will be definitively cured, are the world health authorities. For this reason, in April 2020, the covax, a global program supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi Allianz and the Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (GEPI) Coalition for “ensure equal access to vaccines for all“. Covax had a clear and measured objective:distribute two billion doses by the end of 2021 Collecting financial donations and vaccines from richer countries and then distributing them to the poorest. After more than a year, and now close to the deadline set to reach the goal, COVAX's budget has been ruined. Only 3,8 percent of doses administered worldwide come from Covax, and with the rise of variants, rich countries are tightening the cords on both financial donations and vaccines made available to poor countries. In the third quarter of 2021, Covax officials couldn't even spend the money they had in their coffers (a huge waste of resources): all the vaccines had been pre-ordered, and as of August 16, 2021, fifty nations in the Global North already had the third dose of the vaccine available for their populations. Meanwhile, in the poorest countries, where 20 percent of the population is concentrated, vaccination numbers were horrifying. 0,1 percent of the population in Congor, it 0,3 in Haiti and Chad, the 0,5 in Burkina Faso and in South Sudan, the 0,7 in Madagascar e 1,1 in YemenFaced with this situation, Covax Director General Seth Berkeley launched an appeal to the governments of rich countries: .

HOW TO PRODUCE VACCINES IN AFRICA

To understand the black hole in which African countries find themselves if the vaccination of their populations is not unblocked at an international level, we must start from a calculation published in the journal Lancet. In summary: For every dollar of vaccine, three more are needed to inoculate it.Each vaccination thus costs 12 dollars, a figure that no African country could afford alone, considering that, on average, African health systems have a total of 25 dollars available per year for each inhabitant. At the moment, Only 2 percent of the 3 billion doses administered have reached Africa, which imports 99 percent of its vaccines. An unsustainable situation. The European Investment Bank has taken a first step towards building a vaccine production facility at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar to produce up to 25 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2022. But what about the meantime?

CORONAVIRUS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

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