Summary

President Biden announced that the U.S. will support waiving patent rights for the COVID vaccines — a major move that follows a call domestically, and internationally, for America to provide much quicker and greater assistance to the rest of the world.

Five Facts

• Who controls the patents on coronavirus vaccines?


• Why has the U.S. government decided to waive these patents?


• What are some of the reasons given for maintaining patents on these vaccines?


• How will vaccinating the rest of the world help the U.S.?


• When do authorities hope the coronavirus will no longer be a global threat?

Focus Questions

Do you think the U.S. should be cautious about sharing vaccine doses and vaccine technology or should the focus be on getting the rest of the world vaccinated as quickly as possible? Why do you think so? Media Literacy: Who else would you want to hear from to better understand the reasoning behind sharing or not sharing vaccine manufacturing technology?