CMA, activists call on Canada to speed vaccine access globally to stop new variants
CTV
The Canadian Medical Association and a group of domestic and international activists are calling on the federal government to do more to boost COVID-19 vaccination efforts in less developed countries in order to end the pandemic.
Raising the international vaccination rate in less prosperous countries is the only way to prevent the emergence of new COVID-19 variants that are prolonging the pandemic through an endless cycle of lockdowns and serious illness, said Dr. Katharine Smart, the president of the leading association of Canadian medical professionals.
"Without taking this perspective, we will continue to find ourselves in a perpetual cycle of pandemic management, with new variants and mutations developing in countries where vaccine rates remain low," Smart said Wednesday.
"Approximately half the world's population is not yet fully vaccinated, giving the virus plenty of opportunity to mutate and change. By protecting other countries, we are also protecting Canadians."
The association was joined by international anti-poverty group the ONE Campaign, as well as the African Canadian Association of Ottawa and others, in calling on Canada to do more to support COVAX, the global COVID-19 vaccine-sharing alliance.