End COVID19 Vaccine Injustice now! A vaccine delayed is a vaccine denied!

End COVID19 Vaccine Injustice now! A vaccine delayed is a vaccine denied!

Started
2 December 2021
Petition to
Group of 7 (G7) and 8 others
Signatures: 205,999Next Goal: 300,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Amref Health Africa

If we don't end Vaccine Injustice, Africa will be the last home of the COVID-19 pandemic, bear the long term social and economic burden, and become a breeding ground for new variants. None will be safe until everyone is safe!

As of 25th of October 2021, more than 6.86 Billion vaccine doses have been given globally enough to vaccinate 44.6% of the global population but distribution has been lopsided! Out of this, Africa has received only 256 Million – 3.7% of the global doses – yet it accounts for 17% of the global population which is a 79% population under-representation in global doses. 70% of the doses received in Africa have been administered expressing a generally high vaccine confidence but this represents only 7.95% of the population with a single dose and 5.23% of the population fully vaccinated with wide variability between and within countries. Only 15 African countries have passed a 10% vaccination rate which was WHOs every country target by September. At the same time, the UK vaccination rate is 67%, European Union 62% and USA 55%!

The race for vaccines was based on financial affordability and NOT EQUITY. 

Our petition is representing Africans affected by vaccine injustice like Fatuma Asteb. “I am Fatuma Asteb, a community health volunteer. I am in charge of 100 households with a total of 790 people. The health facilities within my community do not have enough Covid-19 vaccines. The supply is very little, yet so many community members are not fully vaccinated. If we get more vaccines, we will be very happy.”

  • High Income Countries stock-piled advance orders by making direct financial commitments to the manufacturers at lucrative opaque prices (only about 37% of price deals are known out of total deals). 
  • Low Income Countries do not have adequate money to compete in an open market (estimates indicate Low Income Countries need to increase their current health budgets by almost 67% for them to vaccinate 70% of their population against COVID19! Not tenable! (With average general government per capita expenditure on health of $35 and an average per full vaccination cost of $15, it's half the total health budget for one vaccine only. 
  • The global Mechanism COVAX which was expected to negotiate, purchase and deliver vaccines to Africa has raised $10 Billion dollars enough to buy 4.5 Billion doses but is constrained by supply challenges following stock piles by High Income Countries and sub-optimal manufacturing globally and zero in Africa.

The goal is to have as many African and other NGOs and individuals to sign the petition after which a strongly worded letter addressing those who are currently holding vaccines like G7, G20 and Vaccine manufacturers to urgently work together to: 

  1. End stockpiles: No stockpiling of vaccines in rich countries before people in Africa and other parts of the world have also been vaccinated. There are more than a billion vaccines that are either stored already or are on order for delivery to Europe and the US, which already have high vaccination rates, that if transferred to Africa and other low-income countries, could save thousands of lives. Both vaccine manufacturers and countries with vaccine stockpiles should prioritize and accelerate dose donations to COVAX, and recommit their support to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in all countries.
  2. Limit boosters: There should be no large-scale rollout of booster shots until supply has reached the African continent because that is the most effective way to save the most lives. In line with the World Health Organization’s call for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine boosters, high-income countries should refrain from giving out booster doses and instead share vaccine supplies with African countries to enable the world’s most vulnerable people to be vaccinated.
  3. Share more and faster: Some countries have started sharing vaccines but this needs to be both increased and accelerated. The WHO put forward goals of at least 10% of people vaccinated in every country by the end of September, 40% by the end of the year and 70% by the middle of next year. These targets are eminently feasible if leaders work to reach those that are currently unvaccinated.
  4. Share licenses, technology and know-how and waive IP for COVID-19 health technologies globally: In the midst of this global crisis,  it is unfathomable that pharmaceutical groups have not done more to share the tools that would boost manufacturing for Africa. It is promising to see the first WHO mRNA technology transfer hub being developed in South Africa, but this is not nearly enough. Providing essential staff, know-how and technical requirements would vastly speed up domestic production processes and save lives.
  5. Never again: Learning from this pandemic, Africa must never again find itself in a position where it is so reliant on other countries for lifesaving medical supplies. From personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, to research and development and local manufacturing of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, the African continent must do everything possible, including ratification by ALL African Union Member States of the African Medicines Agency, and aim to be fully self-reliant in the near future.


Your action will give this petition wings. Sign this petition against vaccine injustice!

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Signatures: 205,999Next Goal: 300,000
Support now
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