US could help itself by helping world beat COVID-19: Bloomberg

Governments should put the health of their own people first — but that means helping the rest of the world conquer COVID-19, according to a Bloomberg editorial published on Oct 28.

More than 180 countries have joined the global vaccine purchasing pool known as Covax (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility). Of the dozen or so countries still on the sidelines, the US stands alone in publicly rejecting the project, the editorial wrote.

Bloomberg's editorial board view Trump administration's refusal to work with the World Health Organization as a foolish position, saying that it not only subverts America's proud tradition of world leadership and compassion in public health but also makes it harder to defeat COVID-19, which will persist until it is brought under control everywhere.

The unwillingness to join Covax may limit America’s access to potential Covid-19 vaccines, which is most self-damaging, according to the editorial.

Covax is supporting the development of at least nine vaccines now, and may eventually help fund as many as 18. It hopes to buy 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, prioritizing frontline healthcare workers and highly vulnerable people worldwide.

Its more affluent partner countries have contributed about three-quarters of the $2 billion that Covax aims to raise by the end of this year to help pay for shots in poorer countries.

Meanwhile, the US is investing some $18 billion through Operation Warp Speed to secure supplies of at least six potential vaccines now in development.

The Bloomberg article argues that if one of these turns out to be the first to work safely, Americans will be in luck. But if one of the many others reaches the finish line sooner, the US will want to procure it — and it could if it joined Covax. Countries can access enough doses for 20 percent of their populations through Covax, provided there are enough to go around.