Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Today, outside the gates of Leinster House, the People's Vaccine Alliance Ireland held a protest calling on the Government to support the TRIPS waiver - to be helpful, I will give him a chance to answer the question again - and get Europe to actually do something to help end the global vaccine inequity that is hampering our fight against Covid-19. Over 100 nations support this position, yet it has effectively been blocked by the US and the EU. We know that it has been public money that developed these vaccines. For example, less than 2% of the identified funding for the AstraZeneca vaccine came from private industry. These are our vaccines. As Mike Ryan has said, we have been brought to our knees by a virus not because the virus is smart but because we are stupid. We have not been able to use groundbreaking tools in the smartest way we could have. The issue is to be discussed at the World Trade Organization TRIPS council this week. As a nation we have an opportunity to be on the right side of history on this. I ask the Taoiseach to go to that council and support us and support the TRIPS waiver being given to the rest of the world, as it has been asked for by the South African Government.

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