Experts say COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers not sharing their technology has played a role in the emergence of variants such as the Omicron variant.
Detected by researchers in South Africa last week, the variant has 50 mutations, including more than 30 on the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter and infect cells.
The Omicron variant lays bare how failing to provide vaccines for low- and middle-income countries allows the coronavirus to more easily mutate and spread.
Only 10 percent of people in Africa have received at least one Covid vaccine dose compared to 54 percent in Europe and 62 percent in North America.
However, companies such as Moderna are refusing to share their vaccine technology with the world so poorer nations can get their hands on vaccines.
This has led to widespread criticism that Moderna values rich contracts with western nations and protection of its intellectual property (IP) as opposed to making the jabs accessible in the developing world.
Other experts say it's not as simple as sharing the formula and that companies and countries need to focus on building factories and other infrastructure so vaccine doses can be widely distributed.
Moderna has refused to share the formula of its COVID-19 vaccine and says ramping up its own production is quicker than sharing its technology. Pictured: A healthcare worker fills up a syringe with a dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in Zurich, Switzerland, November 2021
Some experts say not sharing the vaccine formula has partly led to the emergence of variants such as the Omicron variant, which was recently detected by researchers in South Africa and is spreading around the world (above)
Earlier this year, Moderna stated it would not share the formula for its COVID-19 vaccine with other companies around the world.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company cited intellectual property reasons and said it would be faster to increase its own production than to share its technology with outside manufacturers.
Many experts have criticized the decision, saying that by not helping poorer countries, Moderna is making it harder for the world to reach the end of the pandemic.
Dr Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist with the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told DailyMail.com, that Moderna's unwillingness to share its technology is part of the reason for the emergence of variants such as Omicron.
'We will remember what Moderna did,' he said.
'They are hurting me as a citizen by not sharing it with countries so we can end this pandemic faster...And they have not stepped up.
'I will never buy anything from Moderna ever again. I will go on the record and say it.'
Because poorer countries have not been able to get hold of vaccine doses, this allows the coronavirus to mutate and spread, some experts say. Pictured: The spread of
Mokdad mentioned a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Dr Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College in Texas and his Houston team.
Although not yet endorsed by the World Health Organization, the vaccine has no patent and can be made by many vaccine manufacturers around the world at little cost.
'Hotez has made his vaccine
