Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and the US government backing a waiver on COVID-19 vaccine patents is just one of those crucial decisions that was much needed in this pandemic.
As it is, low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries, like India, are facing a vaccine shortage without having vaccinated even 10 percent of the population, which makes it so utterly important to ramp up vaccine production across the world.
The proposal was first floated by a group of LMICs, led by India and South Africa, at the World Trade Organisation in October 2020. They argued that such a move could speed up vaccine production, which in turn could accelerate inoculation drives. In this, they had the support of several advocacy groups, and even the WHO as well that believe that a pandemic is not the time for vaccine monopolies and profits.
Although the US and other wealthy countries had strongly opposed the move for long to protect intellectual property rights, looking at gravity of the pandemic, the Biden administration has now decided to support a temporary waiver.