Rich countries reserve COVID-19 vaccines. Gates concerned: the victims could be twice as many

The coronavirus vaccine will be available by 2021, says Bill Gates. Still, COVID-19 deaths could double if richer nations amass the first 2 billion doses of vaccines, instead of distributing them fairly, he warns.

1. Wealthy countries including the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom have pre-ordered over 2 billion doses of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccines, which could restrict shipments to other countries
2. Northeastern University researchers predict twice as many people could die from COVID-19 if richer nations amass their first 2 billion doses of vaccines, rather than distributing them fairly

“The pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in almost every dimension”

Not only rich countries should win the vaccine war, Bill Gates said at a virtual conference. In his opinion, this could lead to a dramatic wave of deaths. The “next big question” facing his foundation, he told reporters, is how to distribute vaccines to those most in need.

The cause of Bates’ concern is a model developed by scientists at Northeastern University that predicts twice as many people could die from COVID-19 if richer countries amass the first 2 billion doses of vaccines, rather than distributing them fairly. The scientists’ conclusions were included in a report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, entitled “The Goalkeepers Report”, published on September 14.

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Meanwhile, wealthy countries, including the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom, have pre-ordered more than 2 billion doses of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccines, according to CNBC, which could limit shipments to other countries.

Moreover, the document also stated that the pandemic has halted and reversed global medical progress, and caused extreme poverty to rise by 7%. “The pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in almost every dimension. The poorer countries suffer much more than the richer countries due to the lack of financial resources »- said Gates even before the publication of the report.

How to fairly distribute SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Let us recall that international organizations are trying to provide poorer countries with access to the vaccine. One of the initiatives taken is the Covax project co-led by the World Health Organization. It is a global initiative that aims to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world (including cooperation with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries with “equal access to safe and effective vaccines” and to protect the most vulnerable populations such as Elderly People and Healthcare Professionals). By the end of 2021, it is planned to collect approx. 2 billion doses of the vaccine.

At the end of August, CNBC reports that more than 170 countries expressed their interest in joining Covax. However, in early September, the Trump administration said it would not join the efforts. Instead, the US is seeking to speed up vaccine development. It is known that $ 11 billion has been distributed among the six research companies in return for ensuring that each of them will allocate at least 100 million doses of the vaccine exclusively to the US market.

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While this position may seem “selfish”, it is not unfounded, says Bill Gates. Without this money, the only vaccines available would be those from Our Country or China that the billionaire found untested and potentially weak.

As the New York Times points out, according to Gates, if only three of the few vaccines that support the United States were successful, the country would receive more doses than it could use, and the rest could be shared with the world.

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