Covid-19: Vaccinations

Baroness Sheehan Excerpts
Wednesday 13th January 2021

(3 years, 11 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Bethell Portrait Lord Bethell (Con)
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The noble Lord makes the point extremely well, and I agree.

Baroness Sheehan Portrait Baroness Sheehan (LD) [V]
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My Lords, no one is safe until everyone is safe. Does the Minister agree? If so, what thought have the Government given to supporting the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal by South Africa and India, given that it will help the WHO’s efforts to co-ordinate the local supply of vaccines through its C-TAP initiative?

Lord Bethell Portrait Lord Bethell (Con)
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My Lords, I would put the truism slightly differently: the vaccine makes you pretty safe, but it does not mean you are not dangerous to other people. I think we all have to get used to that. Regarding the South African variant and the other variants popping up in Brazil and elsewhere, this is a manifestly different disease that is growing up around the world. It has a huge implication for international travel. We are working with the WHO and other groups to try to understand this, but it is certainly of grave concern to the country.