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A boy in Johannesburg, South Africa, receives his corona vaccination
Photo: Denis Farrell / AP
A good two years after the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, the pandemic is still not under control in many countries around the world.
Variant B.1.1.529 from South Africa raises concerns that it will remain that way for longer.
Vaccination is still considered to be the most effective weapon against the pandemic, but there are far too few vaccines available in many countries.
This is why nurses from all over the world have now submitted complaints to the United Nations (UN) against the EU and four other countries.
Your accusation: The governments are creating a "vaccine apartheid" and by blocking the Trips Agreement, preventing vaccines from being made available to the whole world.
That amounts to a violation of human rights.
The Trips Agreement protects intellectual property and thus so far also the patents for vaccines against the coronavirus.
The association “Global Nurses United”, which brings together more than 2.5 million nurses from a total of 28 countries, is behind the complaint.
Among other things, unions from the USA, Spain and Greece are in the network, but from Germany there is no organization.
The nurses direct their allegations to the member states of the EU, as well as to Great Britain, Norway, Switzerland and Singapore.
It is possible for individuals and organizations to report complaints about human rights violations to the United Nations.
A complaint must be based on verifiable facts, be serious and indicate a systematic violation of human rights.
"Causes the loss of untold lives"
“Global Nurses United” directed its complaint, which SPIEGEL had received, to Tlaleng Mofokeng, special rapporteur on health issues at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
"These countries have violated our rights and the rights of our patients", it says in the complaint about the EU states - "and caused the loss of countless lives".
Human rights would be violated all over the world.
Corona alone would have caused more than 115,000 people in the health industry to lose their lives.
In October 2020, India and South Africa proposed to obtain an exception to patent protection for all Covid-19-related technologies at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
More than a hundred governments have now supported the idea, including the United States and France.
Merkel against patent release
Germany, however, where the mRNA pioneers Biontech and Curevac are based, rejects them.
Manufacturers want to have their patents protected.
The Executive Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) is on her side.
"Global Nurses United" argues that the patent release is urgently needed.
More than 45 percent of humanity has not yet received a vaccination.
Rich countries would secure vaccine, while poor countries would be left defenseless.
The UN doctor Mofokeng welcomed the letter from the nursing staff.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, you have been "at the frontline and protecting us".
Their commitment alone gives them "moral authority" here.
A UN technical committee must now examine the complaint and first ask the governments concerned for comments.
Then he can make a decision and make recommendations to remedy any grievances.
mrc
