The Canadian Coalition on Global Health Research (CCGHR) and Canadian Society on International Health (CSIH) have released a Joint Statement and Call to Action titled “Defeating COVID-19 calls for global solidarity, not a vaccine power play”. The statement has been endorsed by 118 leaders in global health from across Canada.
A COVID-19 vaccine is widely seen as the best way to end the acute phase of the global pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads easily from person to person and across borders: no country is safe from the virus until everyone is protected. Canadian leaders in global health call upon Canada to work in global solidarity with World Health Organization (WHO) and partners to end the COVID-19 crisis by supporting the global COVAX facility and adopting coherent policies to halt vaccine nationalism.
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We stand squarely behind WHO and partners and support global solidarity to end the COVID-19 crisis.
We call on Canada to:
(a) increase its COVAX contributions commensurate to its advance purchase agreements;
(b) lobby other countries entering into such agreements to do the same; and
(c) urge all WHO member states to join the COVAX initiative.
McGill Global Health Programs also recently endorsed the CCGHR-CSIH Joint Statement submitted to WHO on a proposed Global Allocation Framework for COVID-19 products.
