Médecins Sans Frontières - WEBCLIP COVID-19 Vaccine Access ENG

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB106054

Date taken / Date Recorded 26/10/2021 2:48 PM

Country Honduras, Iraq, Norway, Uganda, Yemen

Commissioning section MSF-NORWAY

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 4m13s

Maximum Size 1080px × 1080px 308.60 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist [Dr. Elin Hoffmann Dahl, Norway]

My name is Elin
and I am angry

because many of my colleagues around the world

and their patients
still risk serious illness

or death from COVID-19
while at the same time

wealthy nations are blocking fair access to vaccines.

Listen to Ayman, Miriam, Mustafa and Edgar

and learn what you
can do about it.
[Dr. Ayman Alsabry, Yemen]

Here in Yemen

we are going through the third wave of COVID-19.

In Taiz City, 229 people have lost their lives

and the number is increasing since August 15.

[Dr. Mustafa Abdalkareem, Iraq]

We have lost more than 20,000 people

since the
pandemic started.

Our family, friends and loved ones.

[Dr. Miriam Nakisembo, Uganda]

Almost everyone
was affected

in our communities.

Even though many countries have reopened,

the pandemic is not over

for millions of people
around the world.

[Dr. Edgar Boquin, Honduras]

In Honduras, only
18% of those eligible

have been able to
access both doses

of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In Uganda, 1.5%
of the population

have been vaccinated.

Iraq has been
able to vaccinate

only 5% of the population so far.

This is all brought about

by the inequities
in vaccine delivery.

I am not vaccinated,

because the
availability here

of the vaccines
is very limited.

Health workers who
are on the front line

health workers like me

need better access

to COVID-19 vaccines.

The fact that I had my vaccine more than eight months ago

while they are not vaccinated,

does not make
sense and is unfair.

I was not infected
thanks to the

infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.

But I and my
medical colleagues

are not yet vaccinated,

and we treat the patients at a very high risk.

In low-income
countries like Uganda,

the majority of the
frontline health workers

have not received their second dose of vaccine.

And some have
also not received

their first dose
of vaccine.

In 2021 so far in Honduras,

67 health personnel
have died.

Those who are struggling against the pandemic

are dying on the frontlines

while wealthy countries hoard billions of doses

and even end up throwing away millions of these.

This could have
been prevented.

It can be prevented from happening again now.

This strategy will not
stop the pandemic.

It is both unfair
and irrational.

New mutations can arise

against which our current vaccines are ineffective.

The vaccine must be available for everybody.

It is a call from the
voice of the people.

No one is safe until everyone is safe.

We don't want to face another wave.

We don't want to
lose more lives.

At the beginning of this pandemic,

world leaders said that the COVID-19 vaccine

should be considered
a global public good.

We talk about equity.

Let us walk the talk.

Instead it’s become
a luxury item

that only a few drug corporations

have the right to produce

and that only wealthy nations have the ability to afford.

Those who gain the most from this system

are the pharmaceutical corporations

that continue to put profits

ahead of human lives.

The fastest way to
save lives right now

is for the
high-income countries,

that already have
their vaccines

to stop hoarding vaccines

to stop hoarding doses

and redistribute

and immediately redistribute their excess

to get the vaccine

to the countries
that need them.

Wealthy nations must also support the initiative

to suspend patents on COVID-19 vaccines

to make it possible for other countries

to produce more
doses at lower prices.

To help countries
like Iraq,

countries like Uganda,

to vaccinate the people who are in need.

I mean the elderly,

the healthcare workers,

all of the populations
at high risk

for whom there
is a great need.

This is the time to act.

You can do
something about this!

Today is the day.

Together we can demand

that all of these governments

join forces to save more lives in this pandemic.

Not in a year.

Not in a month.

Not next week.

Now.

Now.

Now.

Right

now.

There is no time
to waste.

We don't have time
to lose.

We have no time to lose.