With Europe at the epicentre of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant epidemic, the overwhelming majority of MEPs - left, right, liberals - expressed alarm on Wednesday 24 November at the vaccination gap between the EU (76% vaccinated), the world (46%) and Africa (6%), deeming this gap “scandalous”.
In a plenary debate on ‘how to vaccinate the world’ against Covid-19, they called, “in the name of solidarity”, for accelerated efforts to vaccinate the entire world.
“We need to do more and faster. The longer we delay, the more vulnerable we will be to new variants “, said MEP Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (Renew Europe, France), co-chair of the Covax Vaccine Facility for Universal and Equitable Access (see EUROPE 12837/15). According to her, the vaccination gap with Africa “creates a wound between the two continents”.
To the EU Member States, which promised to give 300 million doses by the end of 2021, she asked that they “give faster and via Covax, because we are at 95 million”.
To the European Commission, which promised 200 million doses, she said: “syringes are missing, fridges are missing, and doses may be lost”.
She also called on the pharmaceutical industry to facilitate deliveries and to be more transparent about the production and delivery schedule.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar said that we must remain vigilant and continue vaccination, because “no one will be safe until everyone is safe “, as expressed in the slogan that emerged in April 2020.
He said he was proud that the EU was “leading the way” with €3 billion in support for Covax. However, while the EU has delivered 425 million doses to more than 140 countries, “there is still a long way to go to reach the target of delivering 1.8 billion doses to 92 low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021”.
Saying he was “extremely concerned that the low vaccination rate in Africa is delaying the goal of vaccinating 70% of the world’s population by 2022”, Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden) called on Member States to honour their promises.
Helène Fritzon (S&D, Sweden) said that “the pandemic is accelerating even though we have vaccines” because of the inequalities in vaccinations between countries. “Solidarity is needed. Political will is needed”.
Silvia Modig (The Left, Finland) and Sara Matthieu (Greens/EFA, Belgium) criticised the European Commission’s opposition to lifting patents on vaccines at the WTO.
Referring to the proven side effects of the Covid-19 vaccines, Francesca Donato (non-attached, Italy) deplored the fact that the precautionary principle was being “trampled underfoot”. According to her, “the question is not how to vaccinate the whole world, but why, given that they are experimental messenger RNA therapies that only reduce the likelihood of serious disease for a few months”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)