NEWS IN BRIEF
UNITED STATES
COVID-19 will be tamed by end of 2021 says Bill Gates In the meantime millions will die, mostly from the strain on healthcare systems and struggling economies, he says. In an interview with The Economist Gates said that there was hope in the medium term for taming the coronavirus, predicting that by the end of 2021 there would be a reasonably effective vaccine in mass production and a large enough share of the world’s population would be immunised to halt the pandemic in its tracks. But in the short term, he says, lockdowns will reduce access to immunisation and medicine for other diseases. Deaths from malaria and HIV will rise. Lower agricultural productivity will see hunger spread and education rates fall. The Gates Foundation has pledged more than $350 million to the COVID-19 response, mainly aimed at reducing its impact in the developing world. Wealthy countries need to do much more to stem the epidemic, he says. “We all need to spend billions to get the vaccine out to save the trillions that the economic damage is doing,” he said. Gates called on rich countries to buy vaccines for poor ones. This is not entirely altruistic. “If some countries remain reservoirs for the disease, it will continue to pop up again in others. If vaccines are priced high enough in rich countries to cover the fixed costs of production –clinical trials, building factories and so on – then the marginal cost of supplying poor countries would be relatively modest: of the order of $10-12 billion in total.”
‘ We all need to spend billions to get the vaccine out to save the trillions that the economic damage is doing.’
WORLD
Alcohol consumption spikes during lockdown The epidemic has led to new habits of increased drinking. An Alcohol and Drug Foundation survey of more than a thousand people has found one in eight Australians have been drinking every day since the coronavirus outbreak began – much more than usual. One in 10 people reported consuming more than 10 standard drinks per week. Nearly one in five people said they wished they’d drunk less during the COVID-19 lockdown, with half hoping to cut down in the future. The release of the survey coincided with the launch of a campaign by the foundation called “Break the Habit”. It encourages people to consider their recent drinking patterns, help them recognise problem signs and how to turn them around. The campaign will also highlight that it takes just 66 days on average to form a habit, about the same period many Australians have spent in lockdown. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation chief executive, Dr Erin Lalor, said it was unsurprising people had looked for different ways to cope during the epidemic. “(It has) been incredibly hard for everyone, particularly for those who have lost work, social connectedness and ... lost loved ones. We’ve all been trying our best under challenging, never-before-seen circumstances.” She encouraged people to reach out for practical support. “Even small steps such as introducing alcohol-free days into your week, or having one less drink a day, can have a powerful impact.”
‘It takes just 66 days on average to form a habit, about the same period many Australians have spent in lockdown.’ 34 | THE LAMP OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020
