Hasffa, a BAMA midwife receives her Covid vaccine at Kalisizo Hospital
In Uganda, only 0.9% of the population has been fully vaccinated. While access to vaccines is a complex problem, it is fair to begin with the issue of supply. According to Oxfam, if grossly inflated profit margins were addressed it could cost as little as $9.4 billion to produce 8 billion doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. That is $1.18 per vaccine and for Moderna$22.8 billion to produce 8 billion doses or $2.85 per vaccine.
Analysis by the People’s Vaccine Alliance shows that the firms Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are charging governments as much as $41 billion above the estimated cost of production. Colombia, for example, has potentially overpaid by as much as $375 million for its doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, in comparison to the estimated cost of production. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have sold over 90 percent of their vaccines so far to rich countries, charging up to 24 times the cost of production.
As we studied this issue, we fell upon a 1-minute video of Jonas Salk, which broke our hearts. The Covid vaccine was only made possible by the investment of billions of dollars by the American people and yet big pharma can still reap exorbitant profits which limit access and will lead to the death of millions. The Covid pandemic is like a canary in the coal mine. Was there ever a time more appropriate to confront the moral crisis of profiting on people's health and lives?
We think that organizations like the People's Vaccine Alliance are on the right track, working to create a movement to demand that life-saving interventions, especially in a crisis, cannot be profit-driven. We remember ACT-UP, whose activism probably did the most good to make Anti-Retro Viral drugs available and save the lives of millions. Please check out the People's Vaccine Alliance website and learn of the very simple and easy next steps you can take to build global consensus around a People's Vaccine.
We have fallen far since 1952, when Jonas Salk asked the question, "Could you patent the sun?" But there is still time to save the lives of millions. Our Babies and Mothers Alive (BAMA) Program continues to serve the women and children of Uganda. However, the pandemic has put a severe strain on our resources. For example, during the frequent lockdowns over the past 20 months, we have had to re-design our Mama Ambassador Program, which serves 1000 adolescent mothers and babies, shifting from peer support groups to home visits.
Next month we will begin our Annual Appeal. Our goal will be to raise $125,000 which will help us close the gap brought on by Covid and continue to save the lives of thousands of mothers and babies here in Uganda. You can help us get a head start by clicking the DONATE link here.
Thank you for making our work possible and please stay healthy and safe.