Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said a vaccine for COVID-19 may come by the the beginning of the next year. However, that vaccine may be a “stop-gap”, primarily available to the wealthier nation.
“The initial vaccine, in terms of its effectiveness against sickness and transmission, won’t be ideal and may not have a long duration,” the philanthropist said in an interview with Bloomberg. More effective vaccines may take longer time to develop, Gates added.
Joining the debate over “vaccine nationalism”, Gates urged the United States to take more global approach in dealing with coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft founder said he has encouraged the US lawmakers to devote $8 billion in the economic bill to help the low-and-middle income countries procuring COVID-19 vaccine. “We’re trying to make sure we can end it not just in the rich countries,” Gates said.
Gates has funded COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by AstraZeneca PLC, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc. “Those are the ones most scalable and low-cost,” Gates said. His foundation has invested in an entire portfolio of potential COVID-19 therapies and vaccines, including a vaccine being developed in South Korea.
“Innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines will get us largely out of this by the end of 2021,” Gates said. “The true end comes when between natural infection and a vaccine we have this herd immunity,” he added.
Over 150 vaccine candidates are in different phases of development across the world. More than two dozen vaccines have already started the final stage of human trial.
– Bloomberg/ Various Sources