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@ZLThill & I are in the @thenation today, calling on our healthcare colleagues not only to post their inspirational photos of receiving the #COVID19 vaccines, but also to call them what they really are - the #PeoplesVaccine. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/peoples-vaccine-covid-funding/ 1/n
Both available vaccines were developed thanks to YOU, who funded the @NIH through your taxpayer dollars. These funds allowed for incredible scientists at the agency (s/o @KizzyPhD @BarneyGrahamMD) & @PennMedicine to develop the mRNA tech that undergirds the vaccines. 2/n
This is esp important as we recently found out that 1) @SecAzar hid the fact that the reserve of vaccines meant for the 2nd dose was exhausted, shocking governors who were hoping for increased allocations to more quickly vaccinate the most vulnerable https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/15/trump-vaccine-reserve-used-up/ 3/n
and 2) @pfizer successfully lobbied @US_FDA to change vial labels to reflect a technically difficult to extract 6th dose & to have the US government pay for these "extra" doses (same company whose R&D funded by @NIH & German govt via @BioNTech_Group) https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/health/pfizer-vaccine.html 4/n
To ramp up vaccinations, @POTUS must acknowledge that these are the #PeoplesVaccine, that we can't rely on these companies, & must fully use #DefenseProductionAct for the vaccines themselves - not just supplies (as @SenWarren @RepKatiePorter say here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/oversight/letters/sen-warren-and-rep-porter-urge-full-use-of-defense-production-act-to-bolster-the-nations-vaccine-supply-as-covid-19-deaths-hit-daily-records) 5/n
A word on global access...because this is a global pandemic after all. @Anthony_So888 & @joshuamwoo found that even if all 13 companies reached their max manufacturing capacity, 20% (1/5) of the world will not have access to vaccines until 2022. https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4750 6/n
This is true even for countries where these companies ran clinical trials - instead of vaccine access, they got a "thank you" & a dismal contribution (2%?!) to the @WHO @CEPIvaccines @gavi #COVAX facility. https://theintercept.com/2020/12/31/covid-vaccine-countries-scarcity-access/ https://twitter.com/zainrizvi/status/1352678186191085568?s=20 7/n
@zainrizvi of @PCMedsAccess also pointed out this gem last weekend (remember, @moderna_tx's candidate was 100% publicly-funded & their execs still said "nah bro, can't sell for no profit or at cost" at @EnergyCommerce hearing to @RepSchakowsky)
https://twitter.com/zainrizvi/status/1353127503276232705?s=20 8/n
https://twitter.com/zainrizvi/status/1353127503276232705?s=20 8/n
To end this global pandemic, we need global access to the vaccine. And there is a way to make this wish a reality - through the @WHO Coronavirus Technology Access Pool, which Dr. #Fauci has already heartily endorsed.
https://twitter.com/PIH/status/1349155249911713792?s=20 9/n
https://twitter.com/PIH/status/1349155249911713792?s=20 9/n
So Mr. @POTUS, we urge you to fully re-engage back with @WHO by laying claim on the vaccine tech that you, me, & taxpayers already paid for & share it with #CTAP. It's time to #FreeTheVaccine so that we all can truly see the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. 10/n
Special thanks to @gregggonsalves for helping us get this piece out & @ddguttenplan for his great edits. But most of all, thanks to all of you - without you, none of us would have access to the #PeoplesVaccine.
(Also, got dose 2/2 yesterday and feeling fine. @ThisIsOurShot) FIN
(Also, got dose 2/2 yesterday and feeling fine. @ThisIsOurShot) FIN
