G20 leaders called on to correct Covid-19 vaccine discrepencies

In the run-up to the G20 summit in Rome, Italy, on 30-31 October, a G20 Manifesto is being promoted by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

Source: ©UN

The manifesto outlines seven actions G20 leaders must take before the meeting to Vaccinate Our World and put the world on a path to defeating the pandemic.The G20 Manifesto lists specific actions

Support patent waivers on COVID-19 vaccines and technology transfers to developing countries to increase vaccine production and Vaccinate Our World.
Increase access to genomic sequencing technology so that all countries can effectively monitor the emergence and spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Raise $100bn – enough to secure sufficient doses to Vaccinate Our World now.
Commit to global cooperation as the only way to address pandemics – no country is safe until all countries are protected.
Mandate the sharing of all global public health-related information and data – 100% transparency is essential.
Expand the mandate of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to establish it as the primary funding mechanism to combat the current and future pandemics.
Draft a new Global Public Health Convention to serve as the worldwide health governance system to rapidly respond to future outbreaks and pandemics.

“It’s paramount that the G20 immediately begin implementing real actions that can correct the vaccine disparities plaguing most countries,” says Terri Ford, Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy at AHF. “We stand by the proposals outlined in the Manifesto because there is currently no sense of urgency to vaccinate our world.“G20 leaders must be the catalyst for ensuring global vaccine equity, and their annual meeting is the ideal venue to make it happen. “Anything less would be an injustice and all but guaranteeing millions more preventable deaths,” says Ford. Vaccine discrepancyAs of early October 2021, 3.6 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses had been administered globally, with 78% of those going to people in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Less than seven percent of the 1.3 billion people on the African continent have received even one dose. The discrepancy is worse for people in low-income countries where less than one percent have gotten a shot.The full text of the Manifesto and the clock are viewable here