On the anniversary of the WHO’s declaration of COVID-19 a pandemic, we called for a People’s Vaccine!
Standing in global solidarity, activists worldwide took to the streets on March 11 to decry vaccine apartheid and to demand global vaccine equity.
Boston
Supporters of the People’s Vaccine participated in a rally for global solidarity against vaccine apartheid in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is home to a heavy concentration of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Here, they make their demands in front of the Moderna offices.
Wealthy countries are vaccinating their populations at increasing rates, but some poorer nations may not have access to COVID-19 vaccines until 2023.
Cape Town &
Johannesburg
In Cape Town and Johannesburg, activists gathered at the head offices of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to demand an end to patents and a People’s Vaccine.
To fix this inequity–this injustice–these publicly-funded vaccines should be a global public good, available to everyone, everywhere.
New York City
In New York City, activists protested at the headquarters of Pfizer, who has made billions on this pandemic.
Pharmaceutical companies must share their technology and know-how with the world & governments must agree to waive patent monopolies.
Philadelphia
Activists in the Philadelphia area visited the main Pfizer offices in the region to demand that the company use every possible means to make its vaccines available worldwide.
To do this, companies can join the COVID Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and governments can support a proposal at the WTO to remove patent barriers (TRIPS waiver).
United
Kingdom
Across the UK, organizers called for a People’s Vaccine with demonstrations in London, including at the offices of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and at the AstraZeneca offices in Cambridge.
But they don’t. Profit continues to take precedent over people, and vaccine inequity deepens, putting millions of lives at risk.
Washington
DC
In Washington, DC activists rallied in front of the offices of PhRMA, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical lobbies, to demand that pharmaceutical companies put people over profit and share their COVID-19 technology and know-how with the world.
This is why we continue our demand for a People’s Vaccine!
