It has been more than a year since the SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, mysteriously appeared in Wuhan, China. But its whatdunnit-whodunnit puzzle remains shrouded in a riddle.
Sadly, the vaccines that were developed to eradicate the pandemic seem to have inherited the mystery of the virus. What seems may not be. Rich nations and big pharma want it to be a closed book. But what happens between them does not always remain there.
Kuala Lumpur, we have a problem. A vaccine supply problem. Rich nations and big pharma are working hand-in-glove to keep supplies from reaching low- and middle-income countries. Malaysia, a middle-income country, is not immune to it.
There are a few reasons for the supply bottleneck. Start with the United States. According to The New York Times editorial of April 24, vaccine makers have prohibited the US from selling or donating unused doses to other countries because the pharmaceutical companies enjoy "strong liability protection" there which they don't get elsewhere. But this doesn't explain the hoarding of doses there, the second reason for vaccine scarcity.
The US has 260 million adults who need the jabs but it has booked enough vaccines to cover 400 million people. The US isn't the only culprit. Other rich nations are similarly guilty.
Taken as a whole, the richest nations account for only 16 per cent of the world's population but hold 53 per cent of all doses purchased. In early April, the NYT reported that three-quarters of the doses had gone to only 10 countries, while 30 countries had none.
The US and presumably other rich countries want to keep unused doses to meet future uncertainties. This is not only selfish but foolish as well. Herd immunity in 10 countries and none in 188 will not save the rich. The virus will beat a path there.
India should serve as a scare. For months India was pleading with the US to allow it to import raw materials to make its vaccines. Before the raw materials could reach India, the second coronavirus mutant did. Soon we will have little Indias everywhere, thanks to the greed of the 10. If we want global herd immunity, 12 billion doses must be sent to everyone who needs them.
Finally, big pharma's profit-at-all-cost policy is contributing to the supply bottleneck. As if hefty profits aren't enough, vaccine makers want to replicate the wide-ranging indemnity they enjoy in the US elsewhere. What the US can afford isn't what South Africa can bear. Nor can the 188.
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a not-for-profit organisation, exposes this ugly practice of big pharma. BIJ, in its report titled "Pfizer Backs Down Over 'Unreasonable' Terms in South Africa Vaccine Deal", says the company has been asking governments for wide-ranging indemnity protection against any civil claims a citizen might file.
What this means is, when someone who suffers from a rare adverse effect sues Pfizer, the government will have to cough up the compensation sought. What's worse, this remains true even if the adverse effect is caused by the company's negligence, fraud or malice.
This is one reason why South Africa had a slow vaccine rollout. Lives or sovereign assets is an agonising choice for many governments, not just South Africa. Vaccine shortage doesn't
just happen. It is caused. Look no further than rich nations and big pharma.