The problem was highlighted as India, one of the worst-hit countries, registered record Covid-19 cases and deaths on Thursday. Under intense pressure to ease protections for vaccine manufacturers, Washington's Trade Representative Katherine Tai said Wednesday that the US "supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines." WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the announcement as "a monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19." The move was also praised by the African Union, Paris, Rome and Vienna as well as World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Momentum built as Russian President Vladimir Putin said he too supported the idea of a patent waiver, as Russia registered a single-dose virus shot called Sputnik Light.

Source: Mint May 07, 2021 04:06 UTC