EU AND US BACK PLAN TO SECURE VACCINE WAIVER

WHO director general welcomes ‘monumental moment’ in virus fight

European leaders said they were willing to join US President Joe Biden and support waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines to help bring the pandemic under control.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels backed bold gestures to end the pandemic.

The World Health Organisation said last month that of the 700 million doses administered around the world, only 0.2 per cent had been sent to low-income countries.

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed Mr Biden’s support for waiving intellectual property rights on vaccines, saying it was a “monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19”.

The move reflected “the wisdom and moral leadership” of the US, Dr Tedros said.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “absolutely in favour” of the move. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel cast doubt on whether the proposal had enough international support to become a reality.

Mr Biden’s announcement was praised by health officials in the developing world.

“This is a remarkable expression of leadership,” said Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director John Nkengasong. “My message is an appeal to the international community, to our partners, to please be on the right side of history because history will remember this.”

But pharmaceutical companies are lobbying hard against the proposal, which could be introduced using emergency provisions built into international trade rules.

Shares in major vaccine producers Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax were down by as much as 10 per cent on Thursday. But companies that agree to manufacture the vaccines would still face obstacles if the plan is carried out.

“The production of mRNA vaccines is not just about intellectual property,” said Zhiqiang Shu, senior biotechnology analyst at Berenberg Capital Markets.

“A lot of other things are in play, such as manufacturing know-how and capacity. Other companies or countries are unlikely to produce mRNA shots quickly.”

Meanwhile, Ms von der Leyen defended the EU from accusations that it hoarded doses that could have benefited hard-hit developing countries.

“The European Union is ready to discuss any proposal that addresses the crisis in an effective and pragmatic manner,” she told the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

“That’s why we are ready to discuss how the US proposal for a waiver on intellectual property protection for covered vaccines could help achieve that objective.”

Ms von der Leyen also dismissed accusations that the bloc’s vaccination programme was too slow. “It is clear that our European vaccination campaign is a success,” she said.

“Some might say that countries like the US and the UK have been faster at the beginning. But I say Europe achieved this success while remaining open to the world. Europe is the main exporter of vaccines worldwide.”

Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine provide more than 95 per cent protection against infection, hospital admission, severe illness and death, including among the elderly.

These are the findings of the first national-level assessment of the vaccine’s effectiveness in Israel, published in the Lancet medical journal.

The analysis also reveals the public health benefits of a national vaccination programme, found to be the main cause of a decline in Covid-19 infections in Israel.

Although the findings are encouraging, the authors say that challenges to controlling the pandemic remain.

The period of immunity to Covid-19, brought on by infection and immunisation, remains unknown, and it is possible that vaccine-resistant variants could emerge.

And achieving herd immunity will require a continued increase of vaccination coverage worldwide.

“As the country with the highest proportion of its population vaccinated against Covid-19, Israel provides a unique real-world opportunity to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine and to observe wider effects of the vaccination programme on public health,” said lead author Dr Sharon Alroy-Preis, of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

“Until this point, no country in the world had described the national public health impact of a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

“These insights are hugely important because, while there are still some considerable challenges to overcome, they offer real hope that Covid-19 vaccination will eventually enable us to control the pandemic.”

The analysis found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was highly effective against Covid-19 for all people over the age of 16 years.

It provided 95.3 per cent protection against infection and 96.7 per cent against death seven days after the second dose. Protection against infection was 97.0 per cent and 91.5 per cent.

The vaccine is also highly effective at preventing the need for hospital treatment and severe illness, at 97.2 per cent and 97.5 per cent.

By 14 days after vaccination, protection from a second dose increased to 96.5 per cent against infection, 98 per cent against the need for hospital treatment and 98.1 per cent against death.

Protection among the elderly was as strong as that for younger people.

The analysis indicated that people over 85 years had 94.1 per cent protection against infection, 96.9 per cent against the need for hospital treatment and 97 per cent against death, seven days after the second dose.

People aged 16 to 44 years had 96.1 per cent protection against infection, 98.1 per cent against the need for hospital treatment and 100 per cent against death.

The analysis indicated that people over 85 years had 94.1 per cent protection against infection