SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A graphic promoting the Mourn, March & Movement for a People's Vaccine: Safe and Effective for All rally set for Oct. 21 in Washington, D.C.
To Oppose Trump Politicizing of Covid-19, DC Rally to Demand "People's Vaccine" Be Free and Accessible to All
"Our best chance of staying safe is to ensure a Covid-19 vaccine is available for all as a common good."
Oct 15, 2020
Amid ongoing concerns about the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis and corporate control and profiteering, a coalition of progressive groups on Wednesday renewed the demand for a "people's vaccine" and announced a rally for next week touting the potential medication as a "critical health step toward global health equity."
"Our best chance of staying safe is to ensure a Covid-19 vaccine is available for all as a common good," organizers say in a call to action.
Set for October 21 outside the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., the socially distanced event is dubbed "Mourn, March, and Movement for a People's Vaccine."
Organizers include Free The Vaccine for Covid-19, Public Citizen, Right 2 Health, Spaces in Action, and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), with other groups including Social Security Works and Health GAP backing the mobilization. The rally is set to take place a day before the next FDA hearing on October 22, 2020 focused on the development and authorization of potential Covid-19 vaccines.
The groups are demanding that a future coronavirus vaccine be shown to be safe and effective and be produced through widespread sharing of knowledge and technology in order to guarantee the vaccine is accessible to all.
That's not the path being pursed by the White House, say organizers. They explain:
WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST the Trump Administration using an unproven and unsafe vaccine to steal the election * Global vaccine apartheid in which high income countries buy their way to the front of the line and leave the world's poor behind * White House maneuvers to undermine science and contradict respected experts at FDA, CDC, WHO, and NIH.
Indeed, the Trump administration has faced sustained criticism for pushing for pre-Election Day approval of a coronavirus vaccine in an apparent political effort, and has embraced a "herd immunity" approach health experts condemn.
President Donald Trump has also refused to participate in the international vaccine pact called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access led in part by the WHO, spurring outrage from developing countries.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took an indirect jab at Trump last month, saying, "To think that we can preserve the rich people, and let the poor people suffer, is a stupid mistake."
Meanwhile, an Oxfam analysis released last month showed that a handful of rich nations representing a mere 13 percent of the world's population have bought up more than half of the promised Covid-19 vaccine doses.
The "Mourn, March, and Movement" rally announcement follows vocal demands for a so-called people's vaccine from former global leaders, health experts, and groups like Oxfam.
In a statement last month, Chema Vera, interim executive director of Oxfam International, called on companies to "share their knowledge free of patents and to get behind a quantum leap in production to keep everyone safe."
"We need a people's vaccine," said Vera, "not a profit vaccine."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Amid ongoing concerns about the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis and corporate control and profiteering, a coalition of progressive groups on Wednesday renewed the demand for a "people's vaccine" and announced a rally for next week touting the potential medication as a "critical health step toward global health equity."
"Our best chance of staying safe is to ensure a Covid-19 vaccine is available for all as a common good," organizers say in a call to action.
Set for October 21 outside the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., the socially distanced event is dubbed "Mourn, March, and Movement for a People's Vaccine."
Organizers include Free The Vaccine for Covid-19, Public Citizen, Right 2 Health, Spaces in Action, and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), with other groups including Social Security Works and Health GAP backing the mobilization. The rally is set to take place a day before the next FDA hearing on October 22, 2020 focused on the development and authorization of potential Covid-19 vaccines.
The groups are demanding that a future coronavirus vaccine be shown to be safe and effective and be produced through widespread sharing of knowledge and technology in order to guarantee the vaccine is accessible to all.
That's not the path being pursed by the White House, say organizers. They explain:
WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST the Trump Administration using an unproven and unsafe vaccine to steal the election * Global vaccine apartheid in which high income countries buy their way to the front of the line and leave the world's poor behind * White House maneuvers to undermine science and contradict respected experts at FDA, CDC, WHO, and NIH.
Indeed, the Trump administration has faced sustained criticism for pushing for pre-Election Day approval of a coronavirus vaccine in an apparent political effort, and has embraced a "herd immunity" approach health experts condemn.
President Donald Trump has also refused to participate in the international vaccine pact called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access led in part by the WHO, spurring outrage from developing countries.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took an indirect jab at Trump last month, saying, "To think that we can preserve the rich people, and let the poor people suffer, is a stupid mistake."
Meanwhile, an Oxfam analysis released last month showed that a handful of rich nations representing a mere 13 percent of the world's population have bought up more than half of the promised Covid-19 vaccine doses.
The "Mourn, March, and Movement" rally announcement follows vocal demands for a so-called people's vaccine from former global leaders, health experts, and groups like Oxfam.
In a statement last month, Chema Vera, interim executive director of Oxfam International, called on companies to "share their knowledge free of patents and to get behind a quantum leap in production to keep everyone safe."
"We need a people's vaccine," said Vera, "not a profit vaccine."
Amid ongoing concerns about the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis and corporate control and profiteering, a coalition of progressive groups on Wednesday renewed the demand for a "people's vaccine" and announced a rally for next week touting the potential medication as a "critical health step toward global health equity."
"Our best chance of staying safe is to ensure a Covid-19 vaccine is available for all as a common good," organizers say in a call to action.
Set for October 21 outside the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., the socially distanced event is dubbed "Mourn, March, and Movement for a People's Vaccine."
Organizers include Free The Vaccine for Covid-19, Public Citizen, Right 2 Health, Spaces in Action, and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), with other groups including Social Security Works and Health GAP backing the mobilization. The rally is set to take place a day before the next FDA hearing on October 22, 2020 focused on the development and authorization of potential Covid-19 vaccines.
The groups are demanding that a future coronavirus vaccine be shown to be safe and effective and be produced through widespread sharing of knowledge and technology in order to guarantee the vaccine is accessible to all.
That's not the path being pursed by the White House, say organizers. They explain:
WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST the Trump Administration using an unproven and unsafe vaccine to steal the election * Global vaccine apartheid in which high income countries buy their way to the front of the line and leave the world's poor behind * White House maneuvers to undermine science and contradict respected experts at FDA, CDC, WHO, and NIH.
Indeed, the Trump administration has faced sustained criticism for pushing for pre-Election Day approval of a coronavirus vaccine in an apparent political effort, and has embraced a "herd immunity" approach health experts condemn.
President Donald Trump has also refused to participate in the international vaccine pact called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access led in part by the WHO, spurring outrage from developing countries.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took an indirect jab at Trump last month, saying, "To think that we can preserve the rich people, and let the poor people suffer, is a stupid mistake."
Meanwhile, an Oxfam analysis released last month showed that a handful of rich nations representing a mere 13 percent of the world's population have bought up more than half of the promised Covid-19 vaccine doses.
The "Mourn, March, and Movement" rally announcement follows vocal demands for a so-called people's vaccine from former global leaders, health experts, and groups like Oxfam.
In a statement last month, Chema Vera, interim executive director of Oxfam International, called on companies to "share their knowledge free of patents and to get behind a quantum leap in production to keep everyone safe."
"We need a people's vaccine," said Vera, "not a profit vaccine."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy