While the worldwide vaccination is continuing to spread, some developing countries continue to struggle far worse than others. The uncurbed growth of COVID cases presents a significant potential threat to the global anti-COVID battle: new virus variants that frequently appear due to a large number of instances. The debate about temporary waivers is ongoing, with supporters pushing it to help the struggling countries. At the same time, the opposing side says that this would not solve the other production and distribution issues.
The issue that many raise with waivers is that it would not ultimately solve the bigger problems: lack of distribution, access, materials, and others. They also highlight that such a decision can put off many companies from contributing and further slow down vaccine production. Although waiving IP protection is a hotly debated subject, it is reasonable to make some exceptions focused on saving lives during a global pandemic that threatens entire nations.
Therefore, it becomes reasonable for some countries to put the distribution to foreign countries on hold if they struggle with the pandemic numbers within their borders. It is no less essential to focus on spreading the understanding of how vaccines are made so the countries and companies can learn from each other in creating and developing their variants. The effort to stop the global pandemic should be a united force while still considering that some countries struggle more and may need more support than others.
The COVID19 pandemic is still raging throughout the world, leaving millions of people sick, hospitals overwhelmed, and medical professionals stretched thin. While some countries are dealing with the issue at a relatively even pace, others struggle to contain the virus and quickly succumb to the virus’s new waves. Such countries risk not only their own citizens’ health but also the global population because the virus can take unexpected and dangerous forms that may eventually affect everyone’s effort to stop it.
