Jakarta, Indonesia (July 4, 2021) Germany, Japan and Australia are faced with a decision that will place them either on the right or wrong side of history as countries in Asia and throughout the world continue to be devastated by the worst global public health crisis any of us have ever witnessed. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Indonesia urges these three world leaders to place lives before profits and give the world access to intellectual property (IP) and technologies for COVID-19 vaccines by supporting the proposed patent waiver.

The gap in the distribution and vaccination of COVID-19 around the world is still very large. Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi revealed that of the 2.2 billion doses of vaccine that have been injected, 75 percent were in just 10 developed countries and only 0.4 percent were given in low-income countries.

The North American region has vaccinated 64.33 percent of its total population, the European region has vaccinated 52.85 percent and the African region has only vaccinated 2.86 percent. The Southeast Asia region is at 8.91 percent.

"This figure is still far from the target set by the WHO, which expects at least 10 percent of the population in each country to have been vaccinated by September and 30 percent by the end of December this year," Retno said in a virtual statement on June 10.

“While the pharmaceutical industry has proven it can respond with rapid innovation to meet the emergency demand for COVID-19 vaccines, we must object to many vaccine manufacturers’ decision to profit from vaccine sales, particularly when taxpayer-funded investment and research drove development,” said AHF Indonesia representative, Asep Eka Nur Hidayat. “For that investment alone, the world should have access to the technology and information it needs to expand vaccine production globally, wherever the infrastructure can accommodate or be established for it. Germany, Japan and Australia have the power to help ensure this happens.”

AHF, the world's largest provider of HIV/AIDS care and treatment to more than 1.5 million clients in 45 countries, has been on the front lines of the battle against HIV/AIDS for more than 30 years and fought through the early days of that pandemic when there was no treatment for HIV. Since the creation of antiretroviral therapy, AHF has advocated for universal access to free or affordable treatment.

“People living with HIV were forced to clear numerous hurdles for more than a decade before they were able to access affordable, lifesaving medications,” added AHF Asia Bureau chief Dr. Chhim Sarath. “That same mistake must not be made with COVID-19 vaccines, but we’re sadly headed down that path if vaccine manufacturers and world leaders like Germany, Japan and Australia do not do everything necessary to ‘Vaccinate Our World.’”

President Biden's administration has taken the unprecedented step of supporting efforts to reach a deal on waiving IP for COVID-19 vaccines. Germany, Japan and Australia must follow suit and mandate that vaccine manufacturers do the right thing by granting access to their intellectual property. Since the world will likely have to collectively contend with the coronavirus for years to come – AHF calls on these countries to quickly and justly do their part to prevent countless avoidable deaths by allowing the increased production of COVID-19 vaccines by generic manufacturers.

Popular

Reform era draws to a close

Essay competition: ‘Rethinking work: Driving sustainable growth in the digital age’

A Fold in Time: Southeast Asia's women artists explore identity, history