WASHINGTON – In response to the announcement today on the results of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial, Oxfam’s Health policy Manager, Anna Marriott, said:
“This is another breakthrough and while the results from the AstraZeneca/Oxford trial are slightly less promising than those from Pfizer and Moderna, they have pledged to do far more to make sure the vaccine reaches people in poorer countries.
“No one company is equipped to produce enough doses to meet the unprecedented global demand on their own. All pharmaceutical companies should work together for a people’s vaccine by urgently transferring their technology and know-how, in order for everyone in the world to have access to a safe and effective vaccine.
“Only then will we see an end to this horrendous pandemic which has taken over a million lives and caused massive hardship for millions more.”
Oxfam is concerned that neither governments nor the pharmaceutical industry are taking the necessary steps now to ensure that there is maximum supply of a new vaccine to meet with the global need.