The writers head the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In this uncertain time, we know two things for sure: we want to end the Covid-19 pandemic as soon as possible, and we want to save as many lives as we can. That’s why scientists everywhere are racing to create vaccines. Some countries are already buying up doses, even before the research and development is finished. But research released today shows that we must shift to a more co-ordinated approach soon, or we are all headed for a longer, deadlier pandemic.
Our foundation asked modellers at Northeastern University’s Mobs Lab to consider two different scenarios. In one, approximately 50 high-income countries monopolise the first 2bn doses of vaccine. In the other, doses are distributed globally based on each country’s population, not its wealth.