Oxfam calls pharmaceutical companies to assist poor nations access Covid-19 vaccines

SAfm — Humanitarian organisation, Oxfam South Africa, has called on pharmaceutical companies to provide a people-based vaccine as rich nations race to buy Covid-19 vaccine stock. This as over fifty percent of doses expected to be available for supply post successful trials have been snapped up by the US, Britain, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, Israel, the EU, Hong Kong and Macaue. Oxfam, together with various other non-governmental organisation and activists says nine COVID-19 vaccines are currently going through phase 3 clinical trials. They say pharmaceutical corporations should therefore share all vaccine knowledge with other companies and research institutions in order for poorer nations to have access to the vaccine. Elvis Presslin spoke to Strategic Manager at Oxfam SA, Mthandazo Ndlovu