LettersCoronavirus: why the world must unite on a people’s vaccine to fight Covid-19

Covid-19 has left much of humanity reeling from the unprecedented impact it has had on everything from health to livelihoods. While some developed economies have had it particularly bad, the consequences for countries that are least equipped to deal with Covid-19 are much more dire.

Underfunded health systems, and the lack of access to health care and basics like clean water, are putting the poorest around the globe at greatest risk. In countries like Zambia, where there is just one doctor for 10,000 people, health systems are not prepared to handle a major outbreak. And with the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, there are increasing worries that the disease could spread like wildfire there and in areas where social isolation is impossible.

While it has kick-started a process to increase global manufacturing and distribution capacity, it has failed to urge pharmaceutical companies to pool patents – a move that would enable nations with the means to quickly manufacture or import affordable vaccines, treatments and tests.

It’s vital that a people’s vaccine is patent-free, mass-produced, distributed fairly and free of charge to every individual, rich and poor alike.

Here in Hong Kong, too, we must not leave the poorest behind. Since the beginning of the epidemic, the most vulnerable have consistently been placed at a disadvantage – from the lack of face masks for street cleaners to the failure to protect the livelihoods of those who are most in need. Once safe vaccines and effective treatments are developed, the Hong Kong government must do all it can to ensure that those in most need have free access to it. If the government purchases these, it must control the price and supply, to guarantee all vulnerable groups access.