On Saturday, Bill Gates called out on leaders and asking for assurance on the future COVID-19 drugs and vaccines that it would be distributed equally and not just to the highest bidders. During a virtual COVID online conference, which was hosted by the International AIDS Society, the Microsoft founder pointed out the growing concern. He asked the international government and public health officials who will receive the drugs and vaccines of COVID once it will be invented.
Gates stated, "If we just let drugs and vaccines go to the highest bidders instead of to the people and the places where they're most needed, we'll have a longer, more unjust, deadlier pandemic. We need leaders to make these hard decisions about distributing based on equity, not just on market-driven factors."
The Underlying Microsoft's issue
Though Gates' intention is definitely on the right track, there still have a lot of speculations. This speculation even leads to the digging of Microsoft's history regarding their abuse of power and using it to beat its competitors. Regardless of those accusations, Gates is still in the light of pushing everyone to have the vaccines available for everyone, no matter what race and social status.
"One of the best lessons in the fight against HIV/AIDS is the importance of building this large, fair, global distribution system to get the drugs out to everyone," Gates mentioned as noting the difference of making it possible with COVID.
Microsoft founder suggested taking a cross-company approach to produce the best vaccines that will emerge from clinical trials. "Then you're using the manufacturing plants of many companies to get maximum scale of the best choice," he said at the TED event.
The US Administration
According to Alex Azar, the Trump administration is doing its best to learn and discover therapeutics for the COVID pandemic, making it all accessible for all American people. However, many global leaders are still hesitant about the reported comment of the administration, for Trump might start a war in fighting for the vaccine.
Based on the reports, the World Health Organization is currently working on a proposal for a Global Allocation Framework for COVID-19 products. During the June briefing, all countries should receive an initial allocation as the vaccines become available.
"Eventually, prioritization of geography and timing would be based on a risk assessment of countries' vulnerability and COVID-19 threat," as stated on the minutes.
The Bottomline
Melinda and Bill Gates may have started tech giant, which is Microsoft; they have also focused on have focused on global health issues for the past two decades. For the past years, Gates' been raising the alarm about the potential for a worldwide viral outbreak.
Gates said that he's still positive about all the countries defeating the COVID-19 outbreak. This matter concludes in pointing to advances in science and past vaccine efforts with the HIV crisis.
