An article on the impending AIDS crisis in South Africa which came out in Johannesburg Star in 1991 reported dreadful forecasts from experts on an epidemic's potential. At that time, the main source for pessimism was that HIV/AIDS was an illness that could not be prevented, neither medically cured.
The same pessimism was true of the SARS outbreaks in 2002, the MERS outbreak in 2012, the EBOLA virus in 2014, and 2016, the Zika Virus. This is the case too, with the formerly unknown coronavirus (COVID-19), which has currently reached over 100,000 cases globally.
Any kind of illness which is life-threatening is undeniably disturbing but one that's not treatable is even more alarming. More so, as we've seen already with COVID-19, communities and countries bear immense economic, social and human costs.
At the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, everyone is committed to doing everything they can to lessen that burden particularly for the poorest people of the world who are frequently hit the hardest by epidemics, and now, this pandemic coronavirus, and, and its aftermath.
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Collaboration with other Companies to Strengthen Initiatives
Yesterday, the Gates Foundation announced its collaboration with Mastercard and Wellcome to strengthen its response-supported by "$125 million in both new fundings" and the already-earmarked money to tackle this pandemic.
The funds will be used to determine potential medical cures for COVID-19, "accelerate their development," and prepare to manufacture millions of doses for global use.
In addition, the pharmaceutical companies' expertise will be crucial to this project called the Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator.
According to the foundation, epidemics are introducing an inconsistency to the world. Viruses such as COVID-19, spread fast but formulating vaccines and treatments to prevent them moves slowly.
It also said, if they want to make people, especially those most susceptible, safer from such outbreaks, then, they need "to find a way to unwind this paradox," to fast-track its R&D and decelerate the spread.
Medical experts have it that the only way to cure a viral infection like coronavirus is through the antiviral drugs. Currently, symptoms are the only ones treatable since there are no antiviral medications yet, that can similarly treat the said conditions that antibiotics are doing for bacterial infections.
This, according to Gates Foundation, is where they believe they can help by collaborating with both philanthropic and private enterprises to lessen the financial risk and technical blockages to pharmaceutical and biotech companies which are developing antivirals to fight COVID-19.
Optimistic about the Progress
The foundation expressed optimism about the development that will be made, considering this new approach since they've seen what can transpire of the same cooperation and coordination in what they say, other parts of their work to fight the pandemic.
As mentioned, the best way to stop an infectious disease is by using a vaccine. In 2017, the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) was formed with almost $650 million from Noway, Germany, Japan, Wellcome, and this foundation.
Since then, the foundation recalled, others including UK, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Ethiopia, and the European Commission have also come on board to dramatically shorten the time it would take to develop vaccines for the developing and evolving epidemics and pandemics, and guarantee that they are accessible, affordable and available.
The speed with which firms have started working on a vaccine for this new coronavirus is a result, partly, of CEPI.
