Why philanthropists must support a free COVID vaccine

Why philanthropists must support a free COVID vaccine

Deals between pharmaceutical companies and rich countries enlarge chasms of inequity.

We will not recover from COVID-19 until we ensure vaccine access to all people, in all countries, without delay.

The People's Vaccine Alliance urges that vaccines are made available for all people, in all countries, free of charge.



While new COVID-19 lockdown measures swept the world late last year, 2021 has begun with announcements of new contracts to pave a rocky road to vaccine access. This access will neither be the sole responsibility, nor within the exclusive control of individual governments. Who sets the terms for vaccine access is a complex picture of pharmaceutical companies, national governments, multilateral agencies, development banks and philanthropic foundations. Philanthropy - drawing on its core tenet to promote the welfare of others - must be a voice for dismantling the barriers to accessing the vaccine.



South Africa recently secured one million doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine to arrive this month, with 500,000 more coming in February - cause for a moment of celebration. Yet it was also a moment haunted by dark realism. These 1.5 million doses will account for a little over 2% of the country's population and will be