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Africa still sees COVID glass half empty — African CDC chief
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Africa still sees COVID glass half empty — African CDC chief

Is the pandemic over? Depends on where you are, according to Dr. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If you are sitting in Africa, they have the glasses half empty. And if you are sitting in the global note, the glass might be half full," he said during a livestream discussion on equitable vaccine distribution hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Nkengasong explained that the optimism seen now in countries like the US or the UK, where so many people have been vaccinated, is "not exactly what we are seeing in the part of the world that I'm serving." Africans are still very worried about COVID, he said. Across the continent, the pandemic is still seen as unpredictable, and its trajectory remains uncertain.

Mark Suzman’s big lesson learned from COVID
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Mark Suzman’s big lesson learned from COVID

When now-CEO Mark Suzman joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007, global health efforts were focused on the transition to fighting diseases like HIV, malaria, or TB under initiatives such as The Global Fund or PEPFAR.Fifteen years later, the main lesson he's learned from COVID is is that "we have and did in the end respond albeit late," Suzman said during a livestream discussion on equitable vaccine distribution hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.What we've seen in the response, he explained, is "to some degree back in the glass half-full, half-empty response" with delays and setbacks caused by nationalism and inequitable vaccine distribution that caused many needless deaths. "

Should Putin get a Nobel in Medicine for ending talk of COVID?
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Should Putin get a Nobel in Medicine for ending talk of COVID?

José Manuel Barroso, chair of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, is having a hard time these days convincing donors to cough up cash for 600 million vaccine doses to serve as a "buffer" for the next COVID wave. But he's not surprised. Why? Because many people already think the pandemic is over. And for that, he credits Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has diverted global attention away from COVID with his invasion of Ukraine.During a livestream discussion on equitable vaccine distribution hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Barroso proposed giving Putin this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine because apparently he's "made COVID disappear" in the media.

NBA player sparks backlash from China; Bolsonaro's COVID negligence
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NBA player sparks backlash from China; Bolsonaro's COVID negligence

China wipes Boston Celtics from NBA broadcast after the "Free Tibet" speech from Enes Kanter. Is NBA boxing itself into a corner? Brazil's Senate committee accused President Bolsonaro of crimes against humanity for COVID-19 negligence. What's happening there? FDA is set to approve the "mix and match" approach for COVID booster shots in the US. Will this deepen global vaccine inequality? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week.