Pope Calls On Pharmas To Release COVID Vax Patents

October 16, 2021 Coronavirus, Religion

Pope Francis called on pharmaceutical companies on Saturday to release patents to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the poor. There is a stark divide between countries that have access to COVID-19 shots and those that don’t, and the gap has widened as some wealthier countries have begun distributing third doses.

Just 2.2% of people in low-income countries, mostly in Africa, have received a single dose, according to the Wall Street Journal. Of the over 6 billion vaccines given globally, just 2% have been administered in Africa, the World Health Organization said last month.

“Thinking about these situations (of exclusion and inequality), I make a pest of myself with my questions. And I go on asking. And I ask everyone in the name of God,” Francis said while speaking to the World Meeting of Popular Movements, per Reuters.

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Pope Francis called on pharmaceutical companies today to release patents to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the poor.https://t.co/EUOcS16m05

— Axios (@axios) October 16, 2021