Recognizing that “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” the G7 recently announced additional steps to facilitate globally more “affordable and equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics” to combat COVID-19. But translating stated intent into effective action will require both bold political leadership at home and support for developing countries that goes well beyond financial aid. Getting it right won’t be easy, but the effort is essential if rich countries wish to avoid living in a fortress with the mentality to match.
The current inequality in vaccine availability and deployment is stark. According to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, just ten countries account for 75% of all COVID-19 vaccination so far. More than 130 countries have not administered a single dose.
England’s lockdown lessons
Jan 27,2021 - Last updated at Jan 27,2021
CAMBRIDGE UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent warning that the lifting of England’s current third lockdown will be no “great open Sesame”, despite the fall in infections and the encouraging progress of the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the underlying dynamics of the virus. So, why did Johnson’s government not take this approach during the country’s first two lockdowns?
Although some remain inclined to point the finger at the government’s missteps, the explanation is more complex. It also holds important lessons for managing future crises.
Dec 31, 2020
Cambridge, England – For people around the world, arguably the greatest hope is that 2021 will be a year of beneficial transformation: rapidly recovering economies, firms eager to pivot to offense with “resized” business models, and governments talking about “building back better.” The risk, as yet insufficiently appreciated, is that decision-makers will end up spending most (and too much) of the year dealing with both existing and new damage from the COVID-19 shock.
There are four good reasons to be optimistic about 2021. First and foremost, scientists and pharmaceutical companies have worked furiously to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, often supported by sizable direct and indirect government funding. A handful of vaccines have been approved, thus opening the way to the herd immunity needed for economic and social interactions to return to normal.
Avoiding America’s vicious COVID cycle
Dec 27,2020 - Last updated at Dec 27,2020
LAGUNA BEACH As excited as we all understandably are about the arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines, the immediate road ahead remains treacherous. The United States, in particular, could be on the verge of a horrible scenario in which ongoing slippages in each of four areas, public health, the economy, policy and household behaviour, end up making those in the other areas even worse. Over the next few weeks, they risk setting in motion a vicious cycle that, if it materialises, could shatter the lives and livelihoods of many more people, even though vaccines are in sight.