“We’ve been pushing Fauci and Kessler hard on this for months, and they, in turn, have been pushing those above them. But the world has nothing to show for it,” said Peter Staley, a co-founder of PrEP4All Collaboration, an HIV/AIDS advocacy organization that has pivoted to coronavirus activism.

Staley and other letter-signers vowed increasingly intense protests, including targeting officials and companies that are perceived to be delaying the response. “Pharma took years before letting the rest of the world access their AIDS drugs,” he said. “We won’t let that happen with covid vaccines.”