UK should embrace vaccine waiver for everyone’s sake, says UNISON

Helping less wealthy countries will save millions of lives

Responding to the US government’s backing for a patent waiver for coronavirus vaccines at the World Trade Organisation, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Thursday):

“The UK government must follow the US lead. Continuing to block vaccine access to less wealthy countries is in no one’s interests.

“With new strains emerging regularly across the globe, we face the possibility of a third wave engulfing the UK. The only way that life can get back to normal is if everyone’s vaccinated.

“The quickest way to do that is to put people before profit and share the vaccine’s intellectual property. This would enable every country to make their own jabs at cost, widening access and saving potentially millions of lives around the world.”

Notes to editors:    
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union including in social care, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Siobhan Cooley M: 07432 549183 E: s.cooley@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk