In a reflective letter on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on countries the world over, the Gates Foundation said that the “artificial distinction” between rich and poor countries was “collapsed’ by the pandemic.
The letter titled, “The Year Global Health Went Local”, described the efforts of the global scientific community rallying round to develop a vaccine to contain the virus.
It briefed on the disruptions that the pandemic brought about and the effects on the affected.
“COVID-19 has cost lives, sickened millions, and thrust the global economy into a devastating recession. One and a half billion children lost time in the classroom, and some may never return. Essential workers are doing impossible jobs at tremendous risk to themselves and their families,” it said.
“Stress and isolation have triggered far-reaching impacts on mental health. And families in every country have had to miss out on so many of life’s most important moments—graduations, weddings, even funerals.”
Artificial Distinctions
On how the pandemic brought down the ‘wall’ of differences between wealthy nations and low-income nations, the Gates said that COVID-19 broke through boundaries without any regard for the adjectives used to describe nations.
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“In the past, “global health” was rarely used to mean the health of everyone, everywhere. In practice, people in rich countries used this term to refer to the health of people in non-rich countries. A more accurate term probably would have been “developing country health,” the letter stated.
“This past year, though, that changed. In 2020, global health went local. The artificial distinctions between rich countries and poor countries collapsed in the face of a virus that had no regard for borders or geography.
“We all saw firsthand how quickly a disease you’ve never heard of in a place you may have never been can become a public health emergency right in your own backyard. Viruses like COVID-19 remind us that, for all our differences, everyone in this world is connected biologically by a microscopic network of germs and particles—and that, like it or not, we’re all in this together.”
The Gates also stated their optimism for an end to the pandemic but adding that they are “realistic about what it’s taken to get here.”
“When it comes to COVID-19, we are optimistic that the end of the beginning is near. We are also realistic about what it’s taken to get here: the largest public health effort in the history of the world—one involving policymakers, researchers, healthcare workers, business leaders, grassroots organizers, religious communities, and so many others working together in new ways.”
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Contribution
On the efforts of the foundation to the fight against the virus, the letter stated that a total of $1.7 billion had been invested.
“To date, our foundation has invested $1.75 billion in the fight against COVID-19. Most of that funding has gone toward producing and procuring crucial medical supplies. For example, we backed researchers developing new COVID-19 treatments including monoclonal antibodies, and we worked with partners to ensure that these drugs are formulated in a way that’s easy to transport and use in the poorest parts of the world so they benefit people everywhere,” stated the letter.
It continued, “We’ve also supported efforts to find and distribute safe and effective vaccines against the virus. Over the last two decades, our resources backed the development of 11 vaccines that have been certified as safe and effective, and our partners have been applying the lessons we learned along the way to the development of vaccines against COVID-19.”
