Vural NASUHBEYOĞLU
Istanbul
The vaccination that gives hope to get out of the Covid-19 pandemic for humanity has led to a new inequality for the poor, as companies are profiting and rich countries are stockpiling vaccines. While developed countries, which made preliminary agreements with companies and secured more vaccines than their populations before vaccines were produced, have started the vaccination, most poor countries still do not have a single dose of the vaccine. This will also prevent taking control of the epidemic globally. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described what happened as 'Moral collapse in vaccination'.
'THE IMMORALITY OF CAPITALISM'
Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Covid-19 Monitoring Board Member Doc. Dr. Osman Elbek, who made evaluations on the inequalities experienced in the distribution of vaccines, said that only 52 countries have started vaccination and only 54 million people have been vaccinated, and added, "Both the country and the number of people vaccinated are very small." Elbek said that this statement is incomplete by reminding the words of the WHO President, which asserted "There is a moral collapse in vaccination"; Elbek continued "In fact, the world is drowning in the dirt created by capitalism. What is happening is capitalism itself, its immorality and unscrupulousness. This really needs to change."
Reminding that COVAX, founded by the WHO, aims to supply vaccines to 92 countries with medium and low incomes, Elbek said, "COVAX had an agreement that amounts to 2 billion doses of the vaccine with companies for poor countries for 2021. But since particular countries bought up all the vaccines from those companies by offering more money, these vaccines went to those rich countries. And COVAX has so far not been able to distribute a single dose of the vaccine to these countries."
'THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR SHAREHOLDERS, NOT FOR HUMANITY'
Elbek pointed out that instead of sharing vaccines equally with the whole world, pharmaceutical companies think that they are entitled to sell the vaccine to the countries that give the most money, "Because those vaccine companies feel no responsibility for humanity, but for their shareholders. That's why there are huge inequalities. Unfortunately, these inequalities are seen as natural so long as those with political and economic power have the right to do everything."
'PATENT RIGHTS SHOULD BE SUSPENDED'
Reminding that South Africa and India have applied to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and proposed that 'Let's suspend the patent right of Covid-19 vaccines until the pandemic is over', Elbek said: "For one thing, we are having the health-related vaccine debate at the WTO. This explains the situation clearly. EU countries and the United States objected to this application. They were able to reject it immorally within the capitalist system." Stating that the WHO should stand for suspending the patent rights until the pandemic is over, Elbek said, "Every country should be allowed to produce vaccines until the pandemic is over. That's the only way humanity can come out of this pandemic. Just like it happened with polio and smallpox vaccination. But we need a political stance to voice that. The WHO president's most radical phrase is 'A moral failure'. But it is clear that capitalism leads billions of people to their deaths, as it did before Covid-19."
'VACCINE RECORD CARDS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED'
Stating that Britain allows the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be produced with a licence in India, Elbek said, "It is also a vested interest: The British rich will be able to get this vaccine whilst on a luxury holiday for a week or month in Marrakech. The gesture made for India again becomes an advantage for its own wealthy." Elbek said that the rich countries have also opened a vaccine record card debate, stating that their citizens will be able to go all over the world with vaccines that they usurped and added, "This way, the right of people, whose vaccines have been seized, is also wanted to be prevented from moving freely." Elbek said that the population and the amount of vaccines to be produced are clear, reminding that the WHO has proposed to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of people across the world in 2021, "Therefore, we can vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% in the world for 2021 all over the world. In the following years, it can also be gradually expanded according to risk groups." Elbek noted that if part of the vaccines are confiscated while the number of patients and the vaccine doses to be produced is known, the vaccine will be prevented from reaching other vulnerable people, "If you pile up five doses for one person in the United Kingdom, only one dose will be able for 9 people in Bangladesh."
THERE IS INEQUALITY BEHIND SUCCESS
Elbek emphasized that Israel is one of the fastest countries in vaccination, with 35 out of every hundred people vaccinated in Israel, "In Israel, 75 per cent of risk groups have been vaccinated. In other words, Israel is a successful country in vaccination." However, Elbek noted that behind Israel's success lies giving vaccine companies money above the market price and obtaining vaccines in advance, "We need to see the underlying injustice when we affirm the vaccination process in Israel." Elbek also criticized Israel's decision not to vaccinate Palestinians it holds in its prisons, saying, "This is an environment the world is in in which a government finds the right to make such a decision."
NO VACCINE IN 142 COUNTRIES YET
Unfair access to Covid-19 vaccines puts poor countries in the world at risk. Covid-19 vaccines have been given in 52 countries with a total population of 4.45 billion, while, in 142 countries with a total population of 3.39 billion, vaccination has not yet begun. Securing of existing vaccines by high- and middle-income countries through bilateral agreements prevents poor countries from accessing them. Africa is the most striking example of this inequality in terms of access to the vaccine. In a continent with a population of 3,380,887, the vaccination has begun only in Seychelles – an island whose population is 98 thousand. In the continent with 3,380,887 cases and 82,886 deaths, only 13,163 vaccines have been given so far. No one has yet been vaccinated except for clinical trials in 53 countries in Africa, 47 in the Asia-Pacific region, 28 in Central and South America, and 14 in Europe.
150 MILLION DOSES TO BILLIONS OF PEOPLE!
Finally, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that under COVAX, they will start distributing Covid-19 vaccines to 92 low- and middle-income countries. "In the first quarter of 2021, COVAX will supply 150 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine," Ghebreyesus said, noting that BioNTech and COVAX have reached an agreement for 40 million doses of the vaccine.
When billions of people are waiting for the vaccine, how will 150 million doses of the vaccine be enough?
Hediye Levent
Yusuf Karadaş