More than ever, the fight against Covid must be global… Long story short, this is what said French President Emmanuel Macron this Saturday February 13 in an interview with Journal du Dimanche. An interview during which the President explained he was working in close partnership with ACT-A, a “sort of global startup” created on the initiative of the head of State, managed by WHO and including a dozen people able to influence the greatest powers in the global vaccination campaign.
“We are now fighting against variants, which is a genuine race against time. Without global and collective quick, effective and united action, we take the risk the virus escapes us” he said. Therefore, it is urgent to vaccinate the poorest and the wealthiest countries that can make it on their own. “We are in a pandemic within the pandemic, it’s the moment to be agile” he went on, adding that “African countries rightfully call us out to access vaccines”.
A global action group yet managed to weigh on vaccine access for the poorest countries: “The ACT-A’s action enabled to secure over 2 billion doses of vaccine to a far better price than if each country had negotiated them separately, this is an overall success. But we have to increase efforts, because every week matters” Macron also stated. This action has been made possible thanks to the support of the United-States and the Biden administration that – once elected – immediately included the country back into WHO and unlock a 4-billion-dollar envelop to help ACT-A finance its projects.
But the United States shall not be the only ones to take part in this war against the virus. “We must work with China and Russia so that vaccines developed by their scientists are included in this great multilateral effort against the pandemic – as soon as they have been subject to the necessary approvals by WHO” the French Head of State explained. He also addressed how the States are wary of each other, blocking and stepping in vaccine deliveries: “We must require more transparency. Open and transparent science to help us understand the origins of the virus and its evolutions, as well as transparency as to deals made between countries and their pharmaceutical companies”.
