Actress Charlize Theron is calling on wealthier nations to share COVID-19 know-how and doses with the developing world.
Speaking to BBC, the South Africa-born star said patent waivers would help struggling countries make their own vaccines.
It’s an idea that gained traction from the White House before European partners and others pushed back, saying it would violate drugmakers’ rights and countries couldn’t set up the facilities needed to make the vaccines even if they got the recipe.
Miss Theron also said countries should think hard about whether they need to provide booster shots. The U.S. and other wealthy nations are starting to give extra doses while many countries in Africa and elsewhere struggle to initially vaccinate even 10% of their populations.
The actress said they should think, “Do we need this extra jab?”
“Is it smarter for us to maybe reach out to countries and get more people on that first vaccine?” she told the BBC in an interview posted late Tuesday.
Miss Theron spoke out as part of a partnership between her Africa Outreach Project and the Ford Foundation.
Earlier this month, organizers said the initiative’s goal is to “further global vaccine access and tackle the structural inequities that continue to hinder equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in the Global South.”
