While the objective of waiving the provisions of the TRIPS agreement is admirable, it should be readily apparent to policymakers in Washington and the WTO that loosening intellectual property protections will not expedite vaccine manufacturing or distribution in economically developing countries. These countries do not possess the facilities to manufacture and distribute vaccines themselves. To tackle the urgency of vaccine inequality, developed countries should be taking further steps to financially support the COVAX program that has already shown great success in providing COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries.
This article was published in The Townhall.