On Tuesday, March 30, CODEPINK Congress will focus on vaccine equity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Hosts Marcy Winograd, Medea Benjamin, and Hanieh Jodat Barnes will be joined by Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen, a 500,000 member organization fighting corporate power. Weissman will discuss the need for the Biden-Harris administration to support a waiver of patent protections on vaccines while ramping up vaccine production for global distribution.
We will also be joined by Prof. Rath Satyajit, an immunologist with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, to talk about the global vaccination drive and the way forward to flatten the COVID-19 curve. India was one of the initiators of the "Political Declaration on Equitable Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines'' that garnered the support of more than 180 UN member states. The declaration calls for a global ceasefire for vaccine distribution and recognition that the vaccine should be a public good available to all.
Last month, more than 100 high-level leaders from public health, faith-based, racial justice, and labor organizations, including Public Citizen’s President, joined former members of Congress, economists, and artists to sign a public letter calling on President Biden to make the COVID-19 vaccine a People’s Vaccine: a global public good, freely and fairly available to all, prioritizing those most in need here at home and around the world. Weissman will discuss next steps in the campaign for a People’s Vaccine.
After the discussion, join us for our Capitol Calling Party to ask members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 978 for vaccine equity and urge President Biden to support a waiver on patent protections for big drug companies.
Please RSVP for the Zoom info!
