“For example, the biggest vaccine manufacturer in the world, Serum Institute of India, is producing doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine. They’ve already begun production, so there will be doses available for low- and middle-income countries if AZ’s vaccine is approved for use. And our foundation took on some of the financial risk, so if it doesn’t get approved, Serum won’t have to take a full loss,” Gates said.
He said the unusual nature of these types of agreements is “hard to overstate. Imagine Ford offering up one of its factories for Honda to build Accords.”
Countries have also worked together that would pave the way to better relationships and global harmony in the years to come, Gates said.
“There’s no way we would be as far along as we are if governments, companies, and scientists around the world weren’t, more often than not, working closely together,” he said. “This global cooperation is one reason why I see promise in the year ahead – and not only the promise of getting the pandemic under control. I believe the world also has a chance to take concrete steps on one of the other great challenges of our time: climate change.”
