WHO strongly supports patent waiver on Covid vaccine: chief scientist

The World Health Organisation has come out strongly in support of patent waiver on Covid vaccines. The WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Monday told ANI that the world body strongly believes that the patents waiver proposed by India and South Africa should be done.

"This is not the time to worry about patents and profits amid the pandemic,"she stated.

As trade experts have warned that WTO negotiation of waiver of intellectual property rights could take months, Swaminathan said that the body would like to see that happening "very quickly" at the WTO.

In October last year, India and South Africa, alongwith 57 members of WTO, had proposed a patents waiver on Covid-19 vaccine to widen their access. The US has supported the move, while Germany has opposed it.