Bill Gates calls for funding from G-20 members to develop vaccine against coronavirus

[dufus]

 

SEOUL, April 12 -- In order for the world to better contain the spread of the coronavirus, leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) major economies should provide more funding to develop a vaccine, Bill Gates said.

 

In an opinion piece provided in South Korea exclusively to Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, noted that COVID-19 has not yet affected many low- and middle-income countries, and said world leaders, particularly G-20 members, must step up to keep it that way because it is "likely only a matter of time before one part of the planet reinfects another."

 

Through his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the business magnate has been an active philanthropist and has waged fights against diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and polio.

 

Gates laid down three steps for global leaders: ensuring proper distribution of resources such as masks and diagnostic tests, offering research and development (R&D) funding for a vaccine, and then manufacturing and delivering the vaccine.

 

Addressing protective equipment, Gates said, "Eventually, we hope there will be enough for everyone," but he added some hard choices should be made in smart ways so that resources reach the right people rather than simply "the highest bidder."

 

"The private sector has an important role to play, but if our strategy for fighting COVID-19 devolves into a bidding war among countries, this disease will kill many more people than it has to," Gates said. "We need to deploy resources based on public health and medical need."

 

Gates said veterans of the Ebola and HIV epidemics can help develop guidelines for that, and those world leaders should work with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to put them on paper to hold all participating nations accountable.

 

Gates then called on leaders to commit R&D funding to develop a vaccine.

 

He said Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), launched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and various governments, is developing "at least eight potential vaccines" for COVID-19, with expectations that at least one will be ready within 18 months.

 

Gates said it would be "the fastest humans have ever gone from seeing a brand new pathogen to developing a vaccine against it," but the timeline will depend on funding.

 

"Many nations have contributed to CEPI within the past two weeks, but the Coalition needs at least US$2 billion for their work," he said. "That's only a rough number -- innovation is an unpredictable business -- but the G-20 leaders should make meaningful pledges now."

 

And funding should not stop there, he said, because the price tag does not include the cost of manufacturing and delivering the vaccine.

 

"We aren't sure which vaccines will be the most effective yet, and each requires unique technology to make," Gates said. "That means nations need to invest in many different kinds of manufacturing facilities now, knowing that some will never be used. Otherwise, we'll waste months after the lab develops an immunisation, waiting for the right manufacturer to scale up."

 

Gates said any COVID-19 vaccine must be classified as a "global public good" and remain affordable and accessible to all.

 

He cited the example of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an organisation that has worked with the WHO and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) to introduce 13 new vaccines to the world's 73 poorest countries. Gavi, set up by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 1999, will need "US$7.4 billion over the next five years" just to maintain its current immunisation effort.

 

Delivering a COVID-19 vaccine will be more costly.

 

"These multibillion-dollar price tags may seem like a lot of money, especially at a time when entire economies are slowing to a halt," Gates said.

 

"But they're nothing compared to the cost of a botched immunisation effort and a longer outbreak. Pandemics remind us that helping others isn't just the right thing to do; it's also the smart thing to do."

 

FULL TEXT

The following is the full text of an opinion piece titled "A Global Approach to Fighting COVID-19" by Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft. In South Korea, it was provided exclusively to Yonhap News Agency by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Over the past few weeks, I've spoken to dozens of experts about COVID-19, and there's clear evidence that the disease does discriminate in a few ways: It kills the old more often than the young, men more often than women, and it disproportionately impacts the poor.

 

But here's something I've seen no evidence of COVID-19 discriminating on the basis of nationality. The virus doesn't care about borders.

 

I mention this because since the world became aware of the virus in early January, governments have focused on their own national responses -- How can they protect the people living inside their borders? And that's understandable. But with such an infectious and widespread virus, leaders must also recognize that so long as there is COVID-19 somewhere, it concerns people everywhere.

 

COVID-19 hasn't yet hit many low- and middle-income countries hard. We're not exactly sure why. But what we do know is that the disease will eventually spread widely in these nations, and without more help, the caseloads and death tolls will likely be worse than anything we've seen so far. Consider this: COVID-19 has overwhelmed cities like New York, but the numbers suggest that even a single Manhattan hospital has more intensive-care beds than most African countries. Millions could die.

 

You don't have to live in a developing country to worry that this might impact you. Even if wealthy nations succeed in slowing the disease over the next few months, COVID-19 could return if the pandemic remains severe enough elsewhere. It is likely only a matter of time before one part of the planet reinfects another.

 

This is why we need a global approach to fighting this disease. What that looks like will surely change as the pandemic evolves. But there are at least three steps world leaders -- particularly those in the G-20 -- can take right now.

 

The first is making sure the world's resources for fighting this pandemic are allocated effectively -- things like masks, gloves, and diagnostic tests. Eventually, we hope there will be enough for everyone. But while the global supply is limited, we need to make hard choices in smart ways. Unfortunately, right now, that is not always happening.

 

There are some things leaders are starting to agree on -- for instance, that front-line health workers should be tested first and receive priority access to personal protective equipment. But think about the choices we're making on a bigger scale: How are those masks and tests being distributed in one community or nation versus another? Right now, the answer often comes down to a troubling question: Who's the highest bidder?

 

I'm a big believer in capitalism -- but some markets simply don't function properly in a pandemic, and the market for life-saving supplies is an obvious example. The private sector has an important role to play, but if our strategy for fighting COVID-19 devolves into a bidding war among countries, this disease will kill many more people than it has to.

 

We need to deploy resources based on public health and medical need. There are many veterans of the Ebola and HIV epidemics who can help craft guidelines to make this happen, and leaders of both developed and developing nations should work with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners to put them on paper. Then, all of the participating nations should agree to the guidelines publicly, so everyone is held accountable. These agreements will be especially important once a COVID-19 vaccine finally becomes available because the only way we can completely end this pandemic is by immunising people against it.

 

That brings me to the second thing leaders must do: commit the necessary R&D funding to develop a vaccine.

 

There have been very few positive stories about COVID-19, but one is the science. Three years ago, our foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and various governments launched the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations -- or CEPI. The goal was to speed the process of testing vaccines and to fund new, faster ways of developing immunisations in the first place. If a novel virus were to start spreading around the world, we wanted to be ready.

 

CEPI is already developing at least eight potential vaccines for COVID-19, and researchers are confident they'll have at least one ready within 18 months. That would be the fastest humans have ever gone from seeing a brand new pathogen to developing a vaccine against it.

 

This timeline, however, depends on funding. Many nations have contributed to CEPI within the past two weeks, but the Coalition needs at least US$2 billion for their work. That's only a rough number -- innovation is an unpredictable business -- but the G-20 leaders should make meaningful pledges now.

 

They should also recognize this funding is just to develop the vaccine -- and not to manufacture or deliver it. That will require even more money and planning. This is the third task the G-20 should start thinking about.

 

For one thing, we aren't sure which vaccines will be the most effective yet, and each requires unique technology to make. That means nations need to invest in many different kinds of manufacturing facilities now, knowing that some will never be used. Otherwise, we'll waste months after the lab develops an immunisation, waiting for the right manufacturer to scale up.

 

Another important consideration is the cost: If the private sector is willing to step up and manufacture this vaccine, for example, they shouldn't have to lose money to do it. At the same time, any COVID-19 vaccine must be classified as a "global public good," and remain affordable and accessible to all. Fortunately, there are organizations like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has a long history of helping low- and middle-income nations get access to critical immunisations.

 

Over the past two decades, thanks in large part to support from the United Kingdom, Gavi has worked with the WHO and UNICEF to introduce 13 new vaccines, including the Ebola vaccine, to the world's 73 poorest countries. They are willing and able to do the same with a COVID-19 vaccine -- but they, too, need more funding. Specifically, Gavi will need US$7.4 billion over the next five years -- and that's just to maintain its current immunisation effort. Delivering a COVID-19 vaccine will cost even more.

 

These multibillion-dollar price tags may seem like a lot of money -- especially at a time when entire economies are slowing to a halt. But they're nothing compared to the cost of a botched immunisation effort and a longer outbreak.

 

For the past 20 years, I have been asking world leaders to invest in the health of the world's poorest people. I've argued that it was the right thing to do -- and it is. But pandemics remind us that helping others isn't just the right thing to do; it's also the smart thing to do.

 

Humanity, after all, isn't just bound together by common values and social ties. We're also connected biologically, by a microscopic network germs that links the health of one person to the health of everyone else.

 

In this pandemic, we are all connected.

 

Our response must be, too.

 

sauce

 

billy lose 

[aum]

Money talks and people listen.  Poor shout and people pretend to be deaf.  😉

[frankl1n]

gotta luv how being a billionaire makes you influential 

 

oh and just hadda post this:

 

[dufus]

[dufus]

Austria, Denmark are first in Europe to announce easing of coronavirus lockdowns

 

billy,s mad

[flash48]

China should fund half.

[dufus]

Spain and Italy Will Begin Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions as Fatalities Continue to Decrease

 

Although lockdown restrictions will largely remain in place, a select amount of workers are set to return to their jobs this week in Spain and Italy

[gerula113]

On 4/13/2020 at 5:44 AM, dufus said:

 

 

and the free vaccine for everyone

[flash48]

On 4/12/2020 at 11:44 PM, dufus said:

As I remember, Microsoft was famous for getting viruses.   If Mr. Gates could not protect his own software from viruses,  why would anyone in their right mind want to get a Bill Gates vaccine?  😀

[ghost]

27 minutes ago, flash48 said:

As I remember, Microsoft was famous for getting viruses.   If Mr. Gates could not protect his own software from viruses,  why would anyone in their right mind want to get a Bill Gates vaccine?  😀

I hope the vaccine is better than windows defender. 

[dufus]

8 hours ago, flash48 said:

software from viruses

 

were his new business model..... and we can,t sue him ...  😰