Staff writer
FOLLOWING the indefinite postponement of the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s 12th Ministerial Conference due to the emergence of Omicron along with changes in border rules for Switzerland, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) again deplored the dogmatic opposition to the landmark TRIPS Waiver proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property (IP) rights on Covid-19 medical products.
Opposition came from a group of high-income countries, including the EU), the UK and Switzerland, MSF said.
With the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, including in regions with unfettered access to Covid-19 medical tools and high vaccination rates, as in Europe, it is clear that prioritising access to Covid-19 medical tools, including tests, treatments and vaccines for everyone, everywhere is essential, MSF said.
“Recent emergence of another new, more transmissible variant is…