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GZERO event highlights: IMF chief, G7 vaccine pledges, global health security
For IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva (above), a two-track pandemic means a two-track recovery that'll hurt the entire world in the long run. That's why she anticipates G7 leaders meeting this week will commit to sending about one billion doses of COVID vaccines to the developing world by the end of the year in new financing and shots unused by wealthy nations. Georgieva hopes it'll be a summit that gives all countries "a fair short in the arm, a fair shot at the future."
Georgieva was one of many experts who joined this week's two-part livestream discussion about post-pandemic health security hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering, Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security, presented in partnership with Flagship Pioneering.
This year's G7 meeting comes at the right time for its members to start thinking together about how to prevent the next pandemic, says UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock. Part of that conversation, in his view, should focus on how to reform the World Health Organization so it can quickly — and independently — act when the next new pathogen emerges.
G7 Comes at Right Time To Start Talking WHO Reform | UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
Why has the much-touted COVAX global facility failed to deliver on its promise of equitable distribution of COVID vaccines despite big pledges from rich nations and multilateral organizations like the IMF? "Don't commit to what you cannot achieve," says Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity, who calls out top Western donors for often not walking the talk on commitments — unlike China and India.
“Don't Commit to What You Cannot Achieve" — How the West Hurts COVAX | Agnes Binagwaho | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
When will we need COVID vaccine boosters against new variants? Probably before the fall, according to Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel. And what about IP waivers? He says they are not the solution, and could have negative unintended consequences like stifling future investment in innovative technologies that allowed vaccines to be developed in record time.
Moderna CEO on Vaccine Boosters Timeline, IP Waivers | Stephane Bancel | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
Why is the US not investing huge amounts in health security for Americans and the rest of the world? For Ian Bremmer, the government sees value in spending big on national security or tech to counter China, but less so in bolstering our defenses against public health threats. If this continues, he warns, America will be as ill-prepared for the next pandemic as it was for COVID.
Why Doesn't the US Invest More in Health Security? | Ian Bremmer | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
Watch key moments from the first part of this series on June 8, "Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security,"
This live event series is produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. We thank our event partners, Partnership for a Healthier America and Medtronic.
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How will we deal with the next pandemic?
While most of the world is still grappling with COVID, some countries — mostly wealthy ones with early access to vaccines — are thinking about preparing for the next pandemic. This sentiment ties into a wider debate about health security that was missing when the virus hit us all early last year.
Indeed, we should aspire to ensure the health security of our population instead of waiting for it to get sick, Flagship Pioneering CEO Noubar Afeyan said on June 9, during a live discussion,Stronger Partnerships for a Healthier World: Mutually Assured Protection— the second in GZERO Media's two-part discussion, Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security, presented in partnership with Flagship Pioneering.
That'll only be possible with a level of global cooperation that remains absent even during the current pandemic, noted Eurasia Group and GZERO Media President Ian Bremmer. Right now, we seem to have learned nothing from COVID, he explained, citing the example of the US, which is more interested in investing on the tech that's on your smartphone to compete with China than in a system to help keep Americans safe from the next virus.
Also, it's too early to really talk about a global recovery when COVID is still ravaging so many parts of the world. For IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, "a two-track pandemic means a two-track recovery" which will hold the entire planet back for years. She called for all countries to focus on vaccines as the cornerstone of their economic policies, and for rich nations to realize that helping poor ones recover is in their economic interest.
UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said that this week's G7 meeting comes at the perfect time for the world's wealthiest democracies, alongside a few like-minded friends, to make strong commitments on procuring vaccines for low-income nations and donating those they don't need right now. That's fine, but "don't commit to what you cannot achieve," remarked Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity, who called out rich countries and multilateral organizations like the IMF for often not walking the talk on their pledges to the developing world.
Meanwhile, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel underscored that his goal is to end the pandemic in 2022, not later, and the best hope for that to happen is for governments to help vaccine makers get hold of scarce raw materials instead of demanding patent waivers. It was capital markets and not governments, he added, that Moderna got the money from to conduct the research into mRNA technology to develop COVID jabs in record time.
Other key moments of the program:
- US Navy Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.) on the importance of using military forces to deploy soft power, for instance on vaccine distribution logistics.
- President of Global Policy & Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Gargee Ghosh on how even enemy governments can collaborate on health, like the US and the Soviet Union did on a smallpox vaccine at the height of the Cold War.
- Geoff Martha, chairman and CEO of Medtronic, on whether or not we should nationalize certain parts of global supply chains to better deal with the next public health crisis.
- Procter & Gamble President of Global Home Care Sundar Raman on how experience in corporate partnerships applies to health security.
- Junaid Bajwa, chief medical scientist at Microsoft, on the looming shortage of doctors and other medical professionals that'll severely impact our capacity to respond to a public health crisis like a pandemic 10 years from now.
- Nestlé Health Service CEO Greg Behar on why we need a three-pronged — regulatory, government, and tech — proactive approach on health security partnerships.
- Amitabh Chandra, Director of Health Policy Research at the Harvard Kennedy School, on imagining a "parallel universe" in which Pfizer and Moderna had started developing COVID vaccines when the pandemic started, and why vaccine patent waivers are a "death sentence."
The first day of the series on June 8, Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security, discussed what we could learn from COVID to prevent the next pandemic.
Learning from COVID to Prevent the Next Pandemic | GZERO Media Liveyoutu.be
This 2-day event was produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. We thank our event partners, Partnership for a Healthier America and Medtronic.
Highlights from our live discussion on post-pandemic health security
Here are a few highlights from our June 8 live event, "Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security," hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. Watch more at https://www.gzeromedia.com/healthsecurity.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (above) has criticized the European Union over its sluggish vaccine rollout. But overall he supports the EU's decision to purchase the jabs collectively and distribute proportionally because it demonstrated the same European solidarity that delivered the bloc's COVID economic relief package. "I don't want to be competing with Germany, France, or Italy" in a race to buy vaccines, Mitsotakis said during a livestream discussion about post-pandemic health security hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering.
Why is Pfizer using much smaller doses of its COVID vaccine in its clinical trials on infants? And when does the company think we'll all need booster shots, especially to deal with new and potentially more vaccine-resistant variants? CEO Albert Bourla explains Pfizer's process to develop updated vaccines against new variants in 100 days.
Pfizer CEO on What’s Next for Vaccines for Kids, Booster Shots | Albert Bourla | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
For science journalist Laurie Garrett, the US bungled its pandemic response because its health security infrastructure was only prepared to deal with threats from parts of the world that America regarded as inferior. In her view, this post-colonial mentality not only did a disservice to the US by causing the worst COVID epidemic in the world, but also justified attacking China at a moment of raw US-China competition despite the fact that probing the origin of the virus was — and still is — is a lost cause.
Did Post-Colonial Mentality Hobble US Pandemic Response? | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
Should the US Congress investigate the government's pandemic response with a 9/11-style commission similar to the one that Democrats want to probe the January 6 Capitol insurrection? Former US Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson is in favor, especially if such a commission truly focuses on the lessons learned — not the politics.
Jeh Johnson Backs Idea of US Congressional Commission on COVID Response | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
"It took a tiny virus for many of us to realize that inconceivable things were actually conceivable" on cooperation between the US government and the private sector on COVID vaccine development, says Moderna co-founder Noubar Afeyan. Afeyan, also CEO of the Flagship Pioneering venture capital fund, credits Operation Warp Speed as a "stellar success" without which America would not have recovered from COVID as fast as it has.
How a Tiny Virus Helped Accomplish the 'Unconceivable' | Moderna's Noubar Afeyan | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
The second part of the series, Stronger Partnerships for a Healthier World: Mutually Assured Protection, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 9 at 11 am EDT. Register to watch at www.gzeromedia.com/healthsecurity
This live event series is produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. We thank our event partners, Partnership for a Healthier America and Medtronic.
Let's learn from COVID to prevent the next pandemic
Days before G7 leaders meet in the UK to talk about how to "build back better" after the pandemic, experts are warning them that they should not lose sight of the opportunity to learn from the experience of COVID to be more prepared when the next public crisis hits. Below are a few insights from a livestream discussion between political leaders, policy makers, health experts and scientists, entitled Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security, hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering.
It's time to not just move on, but rather think carefully about pre-empting future pandemics by bolstering health security, said Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of Modern and CEO of the Flagship Pioneering venture capital firm. That would be the best way, he explained, to do justice to the global calls for "never again." For Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, the window of opportunity to rally the global cooperation that was virtually absent during the worst of the pandemic is closing fast.
Science journalist Laurie Garrett blasted global leadership, especially in countries like Brazil and India, for making the pandemic worse with their politicized responses, and for underplaying the importance of preventive public health. Many governments, she pointed out, obliterated their own public health capacity by putting politics first, for instance in the US by demonizing experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and weaponizing the probe into the origins of COVID to blame China.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis offered the lessons Greece has learned from dealing with a massive public health crisis barely after recovering from an economic depression. Mitsotakis also came out in support of the EU's decision to procure vaccines as a bloc over "solidarity," and anticipated that very soon people who still don't want to get vaccinated will realize their lives will become much easier when they agree to get the jab.
For his part, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla defended his company's opposition to waiving vaccine patents because the doses are for all — rich or poor, east or west — and that the only reason they can't produce more is because not enough raw materials are now available. Pfizer, he added, is looking into expanding mRNA technology to develop better flu vaccines, those that can boost the immune system to fight non-communicable diseases like cancer, and illnesses that stem from genetic mutations.
Other key moments of the program:
- Former US Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson on a possible COVID commission in the US Congress
- Partners in Health founder Paul Farmer on why only former colonial powers are against lifting vaccine patents,
- Dame Sally Davies, England's former chief medical officer, on why we need to think differently about pandemic data
- Partnership for a Healthier America CEO Nancy Roman on the importance of nutrition in preventing unnecessary deaths in any public health crisis
- Lord Ara Darzi (Flagship Pioneering) on why governments need to take public health threats as seriously as national security
- Lovisa Afzelius (Flagship Pioneering) on why we should care about the Global Pathogen Shield.
Watch the second part of the series, Stronger Partnerships for a Healthier World: Mutually Assured Protection, which was recorded live on Wednesday, June 9.
This live event series was produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. We thank our event partners, Partnership for a Healthier America and Medtronic.
Watch our live event: global health beyond the pandemic
Could the biggest health crisis of our lifetimes actually lead to a healthier world? Watch the second part of our live event series about what public health will look like after the COVID-19 pandemic, presented in partnership with Flagship Pioneering, the bio-platform company that founded Moderna and dozens of other life sciences firms.
Days before world leaders G7 meeting, we will bring political leaders and policy makers together with health experts and scientists to discuss lessons learned from and the latest innovations to preempt both COVID-19 variants and future infectious disease pandemics.
Attendance is free and open to the public. Please register to attend.
The virtual event will be hosted by Noubar Afeyan, founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:30 PM ET (recording available)
- Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security: As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, what are the lessons learned and how can we use them to not only prepare for, but also preempt the next pandemic? On day one, speakers will discuss new and powerful ways to combat the wide range of threats to our health, including preventing variants and future infectious disease pandemics, and tackling 'slow-burn' pandemics such as obesity and chronic disease. CNBC's Meg Tirrell will moderate the conversation.
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:30 PM ET
- Stronger Partnerships for a Healthier World: Mutually Assured Protection: On day two, we'll focus on the need for greater collaboration between governments, international institutions, and the private sector in order to get beyond sick care and create a world where we secure and protect people's health by postponing if not preventing disease, and by promoting good health and wellbeing. Bloomberg TV anchor Shery Ahn will moderate the conversation.
Speakers include:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Prime Minister of Greece
Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Stéphane Bancel
CEO, Moderna Therapeutics
Agnes Binagwaho
Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity
Geoff Martha
Chairman & CEO, Medtronic
Nancy Roman
President and CEO, Partnership for a Healthier America
Paul Farmer
Professor, Harvard Medical School; Co-founder, Partners In Health
Gargee Ghosh
President, Global Policy & Advocacy, Gates Foundation
Amitabh Chandra
Professor, Director of Health Policy Research, Harvard Kennedy School
Sally Davies
GCB DBE, Master of Trinity College
Laurie Garrett
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Jeh Johnson
Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; former Secretary of Homeland Security (2013 - 2017)
Albert Bourla
CEO, Pfizer
Noubar Afeyan
President & Founder, Flagship Pioneering
Ian Bremmer
President & Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
Additional speakers include:
- Junaid Bajwa, Chief Medical Scientist, Microsoft
- Matt Hancock, UK Health Secretary
- James Stavridis, Admiral, USN (Ret), former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO
- Sundar Raman, President, Global Home Care and P&G Professional, Procter & Gamble
- Greg Behar, CEO, Nestle Health Sciences
This event is produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. We thank our event partners, Partnership for a Healthier America and Medtronic.
Register to join: two-day event on health beyond the pandemic
As the world works toward a post-pandemic state, join GZERO Media on June 8 and 9 for a two-part live event on health security, in partnership with Flagship Pioneering (which founded Moderna).
Days before this year's G7 meeting, we will bring political leaders and policy makers together with health experts and scientists to discuss lessons learned from and the latest innovations to preempt both COVID-19 variants and future infectious disease pandemics. The virtual event will be hosted by Noubar Afeyan, founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.
Attendance is free and open to the public. Please register to attend.
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:30 PM ET
- Beyond the Pandemic: A Radical New Approach to Health Security: As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, what are the lessons learned and how can we use them to not only prepare for, but also preempt the next pandemic? On day one, speakers will discuss new and powerful ways to combat the wide range of threats to our health, including preventing variants and future infectious disease pandemics, and tackling 'slow-burn' pandemics such as obesity and chronic disease. CNBC's Meg Tirrell will moderate the conversation.
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:30 PM ET
Additional speakers include:
- Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece
- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
- Stéphane Bancel, CEO, Moderna Therapeutics
- Albert Bourla, CEO, Pfizer
- Geoff Martha, Chairman & CEO, Medtronic
- Nancy Roman, President and CEO, Partnership for a Healthier America
- Paul Farmer, Professor, Harvard Medical School; Co-founder, Partners In Health
- Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity
- Sally Davies, GCB DBE, Master of Trinity College
- Junaid Bajwa, Chief Medical Scientist, Microsoft
- Gargee Ghosh, President, Global Policy & Advocacy, Gates Foundation
- Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
- Amitabh Chandra, Professor, Director of Health Policy Research at the Harvard Kennedy School
- Matt Hancock, UK Health Secretary
- James Stavridis, Admiral, USN (Ret), former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO
- Jeh Johnson, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; former Secretary of Homeland Security (2013 - 2017)
- Sundar Raman, President, Global Home Care and P&G Professional, Procter & Gamble
- Greg Behar, CEO, Nestle Health Sciences
This event is produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Flagship Pioneering. We thank our event partners, Partnership for a Healthier America and Medtronic.
Operation Warp Speed: Does credit for Moderna’s COVID vaccine go to the US taxpayer?
Without the help of the US government initiative "Operation Warp Speed," Moderna co-founder Noubar Afeyan says that it would have been impossible for the company to develop and deliver its vaccine so quickly. The fact, he says, that the American people may be days away from receiving its first doses is, in large part, thanks to their taxpayer dollars. Does President Trump, himself, deserve credit? "Without caveat," Afeyan says. He spoke with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Watch the GZERO World episode: A Shot in the Arm: Moderna's Co-Founder on the COVID-19 Vaccine
Does the arrival of Moderna’s vaccine mean we’re back to normal?
"I think we're going to live with the pandemic for much of 2021, but I don't think it's a binary thing where we have a pandemic and everything's awful, or the pandemic's gone and everything is great again." Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna, levels with Ian Bremmer that even with a vaccine the pandemic will not be gone in a matter of day, weeks, or even months. But that doesn't mean that everything will be as bleak as it may feel now. Their conversation was part of the latest episode of GZERO World.
Watch the GZERO World episode: A Shot in the Arm: Moderna's Co-Founder on the COVID-19 Vaccine